Surge, Coach Vernon finally capture first victory of CEBL campaign

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MYLES DICHTER

CEBL.com

The Calgary Surge are on the board.

Sean Miller-Moore led the way with 27 points, including the game-clinching one as the host Surge topped the Saskatchewan Rattlers 102-85 at Winsport Event Centre on Wednesday for their first win of the season.

The Surge’s last victory came in last season’s semifinals.

Since then, the Calgary crew has lost the 2023 Canadian Elite Basketball League championship game to the Scarborough Shooting Stars and its first three games of the current CEBL campaign.

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And so the victory over Saskatchewan was a long-time coming.

“The word around town was teams around the CEBL were laughing at us,” Surge forward Mathieu Kamba told sideline reporter Cami Kepke after the game. “So we just had to prove that we’re still contenders and we’re still able to lock in.”

Miller-Moore, of Brampton, Ont., was among the few players who have been with the team since those 2023
playoffs. He dished eight assists and pulled down four rebounds in addition to his game-high point total.

“It’s a part of the game,” Miller-Moore said. “You’re gonna lose some, you’re gonna win some. It’s just how you bounce back. I know I needed to be better — it goes down the line. Everyone needed to be better, and it starts with me, and I’m
just grateful to be in that position.”

Miller-Moore and the Surge came firing out of the gates, starting the game on a 12-0 run featuring one basket from each starter that forced Rattlers head coach Larry Abney to call an early timeout. The Saskatchewan squad didn’t score for four minutes until Maurice Calloo, the former Surge forward, converted on a floater.

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But the momentum stayed on the Surge’s side, as veteran Malcolm Duvivier, a Toronto native, found his rhythm and nailed his second of four three-pointers as the Surge led 30-13 after the first quarter.

“He set the tone,” said Surge head coach Tyrell Vernon, of Duvivier. “He kinda just said, ‘Hey listen, this is how we’re gonna play today. We’re not gonna back down to anything.’ And we needed that.”

The Surge increased their lead to 53-33 at half on the strength of 47% shooting from distance, compared to just 18% for the Rattlers. The home side also out-rebounded the visitors 29-19 in the first 20 minutes.

The Surge’s energy was evident from the tipoff, as the offence continually looked to push the ball in transition off both misses and makes.

Duvivier says Vernon challenged the team pre-game to defend its homecourt after losing its first two home games of the season.

The Rattlers cut the deficit to as little as 14 points in the third quarter but never got closer.

The Rattlers fell to 3-2 with the loss, while the Surge improved to 1-3.

The win in the first of five straight home games for the Surge marked the first of Vernon’s CEBL coaching career.

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“It feels good,” Vernon said. “The way the guys competed today, they really got after it … The energy was there, the effort was there, but now it’s a quick turnaround.”

Indeed, the Surge host the Vancouver Bandits on Friday night at WinSport (7 p.m.) after losing to the West Coast club in Langley, B.C., by a 100-74 score in their only road action of the campaign so far.

The Surge’s victory means every team in the CEBL is now in the win column. The Ottawa BlackJacks also broke
their winless drought on Wednesday.

Kamba, the Calgary native in his fifth CEBL season, surpassed the 500-point mark for his career with his eight-point effort.

“It’s pretty dope,” Kamba said. “I had family members out there and best friends, and they got to see that moment — and that’s always inspiring for me.”

Guard Jalen Harris led the Rattlers with 23 points, but both he and fellow starter Elijah Hark less sat for all of Target Score Time.

“The (Surge) came out like a team desperate to win,” Abney said. “And we didn’t match their energy, and that was the result.”

Calloo was ejected from the game in the third quarter after receiving his second technical foul. He exited with 11 points and two rebounds.

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