Surge fall short in CEBL semifinal after wild finish in Montreal

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The Calgary Surge fell agonizingly short of a return to the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s championship game.

Despite a couple of point-blank chances and open looks with the win in their hands, the Surge dropped an 89-87 effort in the league’s semifinal to the Vancouver Bandits.

The Western Conference final was played Friday as part of CEBL Championship Weekend 2024 in Montreal.

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“It was a dogfight,” said Surge head coach Tyrell Vernon, heartbroken by the loss that ends their season.

“I’m proud of my group. It’s not the way we wanted it to end, but I’m definitely proud … sometimes (shots) don’t fall.”

In particular, Sean Miller-Moore had the game in his hands on an open-look rebound at the basket but rolled his shot over the other side of the hoop.

Agony, for sure.

Especially since the miss, with the Surge up 87-86 and needing just two points to reach the mark in target-score time, sent the Bandits back the other way for a few winning chances, with Zach Copeland’s long three-pointer finally falling for the victory.

It was a crazy target time, punctuated by a wild few possessions.

“We knew it was going to be a very hard-nosed basketball game,” said Surge star Corey Davis Jr., following the loss. “The ball didn’t land the way we wanted to. We had multiple chances to win the game.

“The basketball gods didn’t let the ball bounce our way.”

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It bounced the way of Bandits star Mitch Creek, as he had a whopping 27 points at Verdun Auditorium.

The import forward set a franchise single-game playoff scoring record with the game-high performance, as he helped the Bandits advance to their second-ever championship final appearance — that coming Sunday (4 p.m., TSN2) against the Niagara River Lions, after they dispatched the host Montreal Alliance 78-75 in the Eastern Conference final later Friday.

Meanwhile, the Surge’s season ends.

Surge fans saluted

“Despite the loss, our players and coaches showed the entire country the values that bind our team and our city together — passion, resilience and joy,” said Surge vice-chairman/president Jason Ribeiro. “On behalf of our entire organization, thank you so much to all our Day 1 Surge fans for your steadfast support, especially those that travelled the far distance to Montréal.

“We are forever indebted to all of you.”

Helping Creek for the victorious Bandits on the night was league-MVP Tazé Moore, who finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, and Nick Ward who put up 17 points, eight rebounds and five blocks off the bench.

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Copeland had arguably his quietest game of the season, finishing with just nine points on 3-for-11 shooting, but that didn’t stop Bandits head coach Kyle Julius from having the import guard on the floor for target-score time.

“There’s no way we can play (target-score time) without Zach, Bandits head coach Kyle Julius said post-game, reflecting on the victory.

Julius’ move to play him paid off, as Copeland received a pass off a Koby McEwen offensive rebound and drilled his lone three of the contest to send Vancouver to the championship final.

On the other side, the Surge fell just short of a second-consecutive final appearance despite erasing what was once an 11-point second-half deficit.

Leading the charge was Davis, who finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Behind Davis was Malcolm Duvivier, who scored 16 points off the bench with on 4-of-8 shooting from distance, and Miller-Moore, who put up 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

It came as no surprise that two of the league’s top defensive squads opened Friday’s contest by mucking things up inside.

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Neither team found any early success in the paint, as Vancouver and Calgary both shot below 40% inside the arc through the first 10 minutes of play.

What ended up splitting the difference was a quarter-ending 9-2 run by the Surge, courtesy of timely shooting from distance. Calgary knocked down back-to-back-to-back triples — capped off by Justin Jackson hitting one from the right corner at the buzzer —to lead 23-20 after the first frame.

It was short-lived, however, as the Bandits went on a 9-2 run of their own in the second quarter.

Creek spearheaded the charge, as he scored all nine of those points as part of a game-high 18 in the first half. Vancouver made sure not to waste the import’s effort, as Copeland drilled a step-back jumper from the left elbow in the dying seconds of the frame to put the Bandits up 47-41, the largest lead for either team at the break.

“It’s about taking what comes,” said Creek, on his record-setting performance after the win. “It’s a reflection of the team and culture we have … it’s not about points or steals … it’s about winning.”

After struggling to score against the Surge’s interior defence in the opening quarter, Vancouver found success in the second. By halftime, the Bandits had shot 52% from inside the arc for 20 points in the paint (plus-12).

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SURGE RESPONDED IN THIRD QUARTER

Vancouver kept that trend going as action resumed in the second half, going on a 10-0 run in the third quarter, scoring all but two of those points at the rim. The most emphatic basket of that run came courtesy of a fast-break, alley-oop dunk from Moore off a slick feed from Copeland.

And despite trailing by as many as 11 points in the third, the Surge responded with an 11-4 run that once again came courtesy of knocking down shots from distance. Calgary hit three triples in the final three minutes of the frame to cut the deficit to 70-67 ahead of the fourth.

The Surge hit 12 threes (plus-seven) through the first 30 minutes of play on a 44% clip, once again proving how three-point shooting can be the great equalizer.

Calgary hit four more threes in the fourth quarter and a Davis triple in target-score time, which briefly gave the Surge an 83-82 lead.

But ultimately, it wasn’t enough.

Ward threw down a dunk and split a pair of free-throws, and Creek drilled a three, before Copeland supplanted himself as the game’s hero by knocking down the game-winner.

Game-long, the Bandits’ efficiency inside the arc (50%) proved too much for Calgary to overcome. The Surge simply couldn’t keep up, shooting 25% on two-point shots. The Bandits ended up a plus-28 (42-14) on points in the paint.

“For us, it’s always about one more thing,” added Creek. “And right now, it’s about one more win and we’ll be champions.”

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