Sea Bears dig out of massive hole to beat Rattlers

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This article was published 22/06/2024 (827 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Sea Bears are now 2-0 since releasing reigning CEBL MVP Teddy Allen.

The Sea Bears overcame a slow first half to come back from 27 points down to defeat the Saskatchewan Rattlers 103-101 in front of 7,817 fans at the Canada Life Centre on Saturday.

With the game tied 101-101, each team was one point away from the target score when Winnipegger Emmanuel Akot notched the game-winner after grabbing an offensive rebound.

The win improves the Sea Bears to 5-5 at the midway point of the season. The Rattlers are also 5-5.

“It was a great moment,” said Akot. “I have a lot of friends and family in the crowd.

“As soon as I hit the shot, I see one of my best friends supporting me. It’s a great feeling, (but) it’s only one game, we got a lot of games to go. It’s a great win but we got to move on.”

Akot had a brilliant night, scoring 23 points on nine-of-11 shooting with five rebounds. The 6-8 forward was also huge defensively in the game’s final moments.

Saskatchewan was up 93-83 when target time began. Their star point guard Jalen Harris, a former Toronto Raptor, was held to 20 points.

Sea Bears point guard Justin Wright-Foreman led all scorers with 30 points on 29.6 per cent shooting. Canadian guard Alex Campbell chipped in 16 points, with nine of those coming in the final frame.

“Emmanuel is a really talented player,” said head coach Mike Taylor. “He’s very versatile. He can guard any position on the floor… so, his defensive versatility is a big plus for our team.

“Offensively, he also has a developing game… Emmanuel, for me, has been such a great addition to our team offensively and defensively and we’re really happy he had this big moment with the game-winner tonight.”

The Sea Bears have played more like a cohesive unit without Allen as they beat the first-place Vancouver Bandits 88-84 on Wednesday.

“I really wish we didn’t have to do it, but it was the necessary move for our team,” said Taylor. “You could see we were becoming very individualistic. We were not giving defensive effort. Teddy was taking 30 shots, not playing any defence, being a bad teammate, and all of these things added up.

“This was clearly the decision for the team and the organization. Before they were being suffocated a little bit with everything going on, but now, the rest of the team has life.”

Winnipeg was down 57-36 at halftime. They got themselves back into the contest with 31 points in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 74-67.

“Obviously, the slow start was a big factor,” said Taylor. “We were really not pleased with our performance in the first half. In the second half, we just kept clawing away. And I think when you look at this game, the adversity that our team faced, the determination and grit that the team showed, I think it’s really encouraging.”

The victory meant a little extra for Wright-Foreman, who played last season in Saskatchewan and was the top scorer in the league.

“I didn’t want to lose, I’m going to be very honest,” he said. “They were sitting there talking all game, and I’m going back and forth. I was hearing a little chirping.”

“Obviously this isn’t the NBA, but you dream about playing against your old team and having a big game. It wasn’t like I tried for that to happen, but the result was a win and that’s all that matters. I have great respect for everybody over there, I have some great friends that are still on the team. I think they made a lot of great changes from last year to this year and I still wish the best for people.”

The Sea Bears return to the floor Thursday at home to take on the Niagara River Lions (6-3).

SEA BEARS ADD G LEAGUE GUARD: Winnipeg has filled its open import roster spot.

The club announced Saturday morning the addition of 6-6 American guard Scottie Lindsey, who most recently spent time with the NBA G League’s Windy City Bulls. The 28-year-old out of Northwestern returns to the CEBL after a one-year hiatus. Lindsey played 16 games with Saskatchewan in 2022 and averaged 19.8 points per game, which was tied for fourth in the league.

He was in town but did not dress on Saturday.

“Scottie will give us more versatility and CEBL experience, and his three-point shooting and ability to attack closeouts will help him fit into our system well,” said Taylor.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

X: @TaylorAllen31