Sea Bears eye post-season berth in 1st half of home-and-home against Surge

A late-season home-and-home series between Calgary and Winnipeg presents opportunity for both clubs.

The Sea Bears host the first half of the two-game set against the Surge on Tuesday at 7 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. MT / 8 p.m. ET. Broadcast coverage is available on TSN and Next Level Sports & Entertainment, while you can live stream the game on TSN+, CEBL+ and Courtside 1891.

For Winnipeg (8-9), the stakes are simple — a win in any of the team’s final three games of the season results in a playoff berth. Win both games against Calgary and a home playoff game is on the table, too.

Meanwhile, a victory for the Surge (10-7) in either game against the Sea Bears means at least one post-season contest will be played in Calgary. The Surge, though, are riding a four-game winning streak and may have higher ambitions as they sit just one game behind second-place Edmonton in the West and two back of first-place Vancouver, whose final three games are all on the road.

Even though Calgary appears to have momentum on its side, Winnipeg may have a continuity advantage.

While the Sea Bears were not affected by the NBA’s Summer League, the Surge lost three rotation players to Las Vegas — two of whom, in guard Trhae Mitchell and forward Gabe Osabouhein, were expected to return to the team ahead of Tuesday’s tilt.

Head coach Tyrell Vernon said he’s hoping not to shake things up too much.

“But again, those guys were with us when we started making our turn and won some games with us as well. So we just gotta sit down, see what’s best for us going forward for the next couple matchups and go from there,” he said after Calgary’s most recent victory.

Winnipeg’s roster turnover came earlier in the season, when it cut reigning MVP Teddy Allen and former NBA player Byron Mullens. Its biggest addition was Justin Wright-Foreman, who has helped right the ship with a league-leading 26.3 points per game while dishing 6.4 assists per contest too.

The teams have met just once so far this season, with Calgary romping to a 110-78 victory on June 9. But that contest was still in the Sea Bears’ Teddy Allen era.

Now, Winnipeg has two games to prove it belongs in the loaded Western Conference.

Player spotlight

When Calgary guard Sean Miller-Moore is right, he is among the foremost scoring forces in the league.

But the Surge’s four-game win streak has presented a mixed bag for the Toronto native known as ‘Rugzy.’

In order, Miller-Moore struggled with nine points on 13 shots in a win over Edmonton, missed the Bandits game with a lower-body injury, returned but scored just two points again Saskatchewan, then finally broke out with a 24-point effort in the team’s latest triumph over Montreal.

Miller-Moore still leads the team with 15.6 points per game, but the Surge’s championship hopes may rest on whether their star player is fully healthy, and if so, whether he can be the offensive star he’s proven to be in the past.

Milestone watch

• Calgary’s Marlon Johnson Jr., is 14 rebounds away from 400 for his career, including playoffs
• Winnipeg’s Chad Posthumus is nine rebounds away from 500 for his career, including playoffs
• Winnipeg’s Mason Bourcier is eight assists away from 200 for his career, including playoffs

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About the CEBL

A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 10 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN, TSN+, RDS, Game+, Next Level Sports & Entertainment and Courtside1891. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.