Sea Bears overpower Alliance as Allen sets scoring mark, Moon makes debut

This is what the Winnipeg Sea Bears awaited, and what the rest of the Canadian Elite Basketball League feared.

Meet Deadpool and Wolverine — the self-anointed nicknames of the Sea Bears’ new lethal duo: Teddy Allen and Xavier Moon.

Moon had waited more than one month since reporting for duty to make his return to the league in which he reigned supreme across its first three seasons. At first, there was excitement. Then confusion, and perhaps even frustration as the days turned into weeks.

On Sunday, Moon let it all go as he returned to the floor for the first time since 2021, showing exactly why he is a former three-time Most Valuable Player in a 17-point, 14-assist double-double performance as the Sea Bears rolled to a 109-80 drubbing of the Montreal Alliance at Canada Life Centre.

Perhaps the only thing that was more anticipated than Moon’s return was how he would look playing alongside Allen.

It didn’t take long for the pair to answer those questions, as the only thing to overshadow Moon’s season debut was a historic night for his partner in crime.

Allen set a new franchise record in a sensational 54-point, 10-rebound double-double outing. The former MVP and current MVP front-runner was showered with “MVP” chants by the Sea Bears faithful on a night he also set the CEBL record for most points scored in a single season, breaking his own record (544) that he set in 2023.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that or been a part of that. It was a special night for him,” said Moon. “We knew he had it going, and we just tried to get him the ball, maybe force feed him a little bit. But hey, when you’re chasing the record like that, man, go ahead.”

Allen was simply unstoppable at one point during a fourth quarter in which he scored 23 points. He connected on 72 per cent of his field goals on this night, while his nine three-pointers tied the Sea Bears’ single-game franchise record and were one shy of the league record.

“I had it going,” said Allen. “Shout out to (Montreal), they’ve been on a road trip, but they just didn’t have much fight. They kind of were like us last game or some games this season. So, I just saw the opportunity to see what I could do, and luckily, my teammates kept finding me.

“Once they see me around that 40 mark, they were just kind of force feeding me. So, I appreciate them for that. It’s kind of a little moment for all of us, but luckily we got the win.”

For Moon, a pinpoint midrange stroke, a few dazzling acrobatic shots combined with a stout defensive effort and elite court vision marked a stellar all-around debut, as Moon added four steals to his total.

“Just gravity,” Allen said of Moon. “He takes a lot of pressure off myself, just being able to run the show, find guys, get his own, be a floor general — it makes my job easy. I probably had the most open looks I had all season tonight, coming off screens, wide open. I knew it was going to be like that, but it was a good start for sure.”

Moon’s return came at a good time as Winnipeg, which has struggled offensively in two of its last three outings, continues its push for home court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs. The Sea Bears improved to 13-7 on the season to maintain their spot atop the conference, a half-game ahead of the Vancouver Bandits, who will visit on Thursday (7 p.m.).

For as good as the Sea Bears, who are now 8-1 at home, have looked on their court this season, there was a different energy with Moon making his debut. As head coach Mike Raimbault put it, the guard’s return “was certainly worth the wait.”

“Anytime you can have a guy of his calibre join your group, I think it’s obviously a really good thing to have happen. He’s an extremely special player. He’s also a tremendous person,” said Raimbault, crediting Moon for the immediate presence he’s taken in the community. “He spent a lot of time with the guys that are or have been playing in the games, trying to help them see different things, and he’s got a real commitment to winning, as well.”

Raimbault later credited Moon’s character for not allowing his impending return to be a distraction to the team the last number of weeks.

“I think there was probably somewhat of a narrative about how him and Teddy could coexist in some arenas,” Raimbault added, “and I think they both complemented each other really well tonight, and I think they’ll continue to be difficult for teams to deal with.”

Allen, Moon and the rest of the Sea Bears made seamless work of the Alliance, who entered the night as the league’s stingiest defence, allowing 89 points per game. Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. chipped in with 16 points, and DJ Burns supplied 12 off the bench.

“I feel like it was a pretty easy transition for me, and it was a great first game, to say the least.”

The Sea Bears held leads of 27-19 and 54-33 on the strength of an efficient shooting performance through the first two quarters. They did not break stride coming out of the break, either, owning a 26-point advantage after the third quarter and a 35-point lead entering Target Score Time.

Winnipeg forced 16 steals as part of a dismal 22-turnover night for Montreal, and outscored the visitors 33-5 in points off turnovers.

The Alliance have now lost three in a row, dropping to 8-12 for the season.

With Moon available, Trey McGowens was marked inactive for the Sea Bears to comply with the league’s five-player import limit. Simon Hildebrandt was also inactive to attend a wedding.

While the rest of the league waits to see what’s next for this dangerous duo, one thing is clear: this was a return to remember.

“At the beginning, kind of just taking all the emotions in. Obviously, I’ve been all over the world playing basketball, so it’s not new,” Moon said. “And then once the game was going, just trying to pick and choose my spots — implement myself how I need to be implemented — and then obviously getting everybody involved.

“I feel like it was a pretty easy transition for me, and it was a great first game, to say the least.”

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