The opening tip of Surge to the Dome on May 21, 2024. (Photo by Josiah Navratil/The Press)
The Calgary Surge opened the 2024 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) at the Scotiabank Saddledome losing 97-79 to the provincial rival Edmonton Stingers.
The game saw a new CEBL attendance record set with over 12,000 fans in attendance for the Surge to the Dome event.
This was the first game of the Encore Season II for the Calgary Surge.
Source: CEBL
In a courtside interview with Zain Velji right before the game, Surge president and vice chairman Jason Ribeiro talked about the impact of playing at the Saddledome.
“It’s really about ... cementing our story ... of sport in Calgary and there’s no more iconic venue than the Saddledome,” said Ribeiro.
The last time the two teams met was in the 2023 playoffs which saw the Surge defeat the Stingers at home to reach championship weekend, ultimately losing to the Scarborough Shooting Stars in the final. Calgary was in their inaugural season during that playoff run and wasn’t expected to make it far.
Right off winning the opening jump ball, the Edmonton Stingers were playing a run-and-gun style of basketball passing the ball ahead to Davion Warren for an open lay-up and his first points in the CEBL. Warren would finish with a game high of 17 points.
The Stingers had production from their starters, but it was ultimately their bench that won the game. Both Adika Peter-Mcneilly and Ben Krikke had 15 points off the bench while shooting 60 per cent or above from the field.
Surge player Justin Lewis led with 16 points to go along with eight rebounds. He was helped by Sean (Rugzy) Miller-Moore who had 15 points but also added a game-high eight turnovers, struggling in the absence of Surge guard Stef Smith.
It was also the debut of Calgarian and former Stinger Mathieu Kamba. Kamba added 11 points off the bench in nearly 23 minutes.
Both teams traded 8-3 runs in the early minutes leading to the first quarter ending with the Stingers leading 21-18.
The second quarter brought a flurry of turnovers from the Surge which allowed the Stingers to take advantage. Many of these turnovers were unforced, coming from bad passes.
An example of this came when Surge Dondre Reddick jumped into the air and tried to pass out of a bad shot only to have it stolen by Stinger Jacob Evans III leading to a fastbreak layup on the other end.
Or Malcom Duvivier throwing a bad bounce pass only for it to be stolen by Stinger Nick Hornsby. Edmonton finished the game plus-four in the steal category.
At the end of the second quarter Edmonton had blown open the game with a 49-36 lead.
According to Stingers head coach Jordan Baker, the fast-paced style is something the team will look to continue throughout the season.
“For us to be able to get out in transition and get some easy baskets, it plays to our advantage versus having to slow things down where they can get set,” said Baker on their offensive approach.
“It opened things up for us and allowed us to build a lead. Momentum is everything in this game, turn stops into scores … that’s always what you’re aiming for.”
During halftime, the Surge honoured the basketball legacy of the Calgary 88s by introducing Calgary basketball icon Jon Hegwood.
Hegwood, a former member of the Calgary 88s founded the Calgary Youth Development Centre (CYDC) Panthers, a youth basketball organization. His organization has a connection to the Surge as current guard Mathieu Kamba played for Panthers in his youth.
The Calgary 88s were part of the short-lived World Basketball League from 1988 to 1992. One of the more successful teams in the league, the 88s went to the championship final back-to-back in 1989 and 1990 losing both times to the Youngstown Pride.
When the Surge ran back onto the court for the third quarter, they had switched from their home Peace jerseys to that of the Calgary 88s.
“It's really because basketball was always here and it just didn't have a pro team in a hybrid league like the CEBL to be able to capture that,” said Ribeiro.
“To be able close the loop on those 30 years of basketball history ... do it in a way that engages our fans... have it mean something and not just be a retro play was super special ... for our entire organization.”
Despite the energy and applause generated by the uniform change, the Surge were unable to capitalize in the third quarter, committing six more turnovers and seeing the Stingers take a 19-point lead into the final quarter, with a Warren buzzer beating three-pointer.
All CEBL games end in target score time which starts at the first whistle at the final four minutes or less of a game. Nine points are added to the leading team’s score and the first team to reach it wins. The clock is turned off meaning that teams have a chance to come back.
The Calgary Surge do own the record for largest comeback in target score time in CEBL history, coming back from 16 to beat the Stingers one year ago.
During target score time, the Surge were down 87-72 with the target score being 96. There was no comeback this time as Stingers Krikke and Mcneilly scored the last 10 points to win the game for the Stingers 97-79. Mcneilly scored back-to-back threes to end the game, capping off a plus-17 advantage for the Stingers bench.
Throughout the game the Surge struggled to defend inside the arc with the Stingers shooting 63 per cent from 2-point range and ending the game with 60 points in the paint.
At the post-game press conference, Surge player Miller-Moore talked about the importance of taking it one game at a time.
“We have a lot of games coming up so just focus on ... one game at a time mentality and next play mentality as well,” said Miller-Moore
"So, looking forward to ... getting back to practice and ... not having our heads low.”
Head coach Tyrell Vernon echoed the sentiment.
"We just always encourage the players to hold each other accountable,” said Vernon
“We all have to be solution based and right now we just have to solve some problems.”
The Calgary Surge will next host the defending champion Scarborough Shooting Stars in a rematch of last year’s CEBL Finals on May 29, 2024.
Surge forward Justin Lewis watches as head coach Tyrell Vernon draws up a play on May 21, 2024.. (Photo by Josiah Navratil/The Press)
Surge guard Sean (Rugzy) Miller-Moore drives against Jacob Evans III on May 21, 2024. Rugzy finished the game with a game-high eight turnovers. (Photo by Josiah Navratil/The Press)
Surge guard Sean (Rugzy) Miller-Moore shoots over Stinger guard Jacob Evans III on May 21, 2024. (Photo by Josiah Navratil/The Press)
Mathieu Kamba, Calgary native and former Edmonton Stinger waits to check into the game on May 21, 2024. (Photo by Josiah Navratil/The Press)
Surge forward Gabe Osabuohien tries to finish through contact on May 21, 2024. (Photo by Josiah Navratil/The Press)
The Calgary Surge come out of halftime wearing the Calgary 88s uniforms on May 21, 2024.(Photo by Josiah Navratil/The Press)
John Hegwood, former Calgary 88s player and founder of CYDC gets applause at the Surge to the Dome game on May 21, 2024. (Photo by Josiah Navratil/The Press)
Surgio greets some fans at Surge to the Dome on May 21, 2024. (Photo by Josiah Navratil/The Press)
Surge guard Sean (Rugzy) Miller-Moore dunks on Stinger Ben Krikke on May 21, 2024. (Photo by Josiah Navratil/The Press)
