Sea Bears cut head off snake

Against all odds.

The Winnipeg Sea Bears were hardly given a fighter’s chance going into the Canadian Elite Basketball League Western Conference semifinal without three staples in their starting lineup, including MVP front-runner Teddy Allen.

Indeed, the uphill battle was steep with a shell of their team — albeit with three-time MVP Xavier Moon still in the lineup — and facing one of the league’s hottest teams in the Saskatoon Mamba.

And yet, the No. 2-seeded Sea Bears jabbed, crossed and hooked for 40 minutes until they landed one of their grittier performances of the season in a 99-88 victory over the No. 3-seed Mamba at Canada Life Centre on Thursday.

“I wouldn’t say we were the underdog, but I mean, we knew we were undermanned,” said Xavier Moon, who sported a Deadpool T-shirt in pre-game shootarounds to honour Allen, who the duo coined as Wolverine.

“We knew guys were gonna have to step up, and everybody did that tonight. No pressure on us, man. We played free, we played loose. Guys made shots, we defended. So I mean, I’m proud of the group for what we did tonight.”

After reaching the playoffs in each of their first three seasons and being bounced immediately, this victory was the first in post-season franchise history.

The Sea Bears will play in the Western Conference final on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT against the Vancouver Bandits or Edmonton Stingers, who were in the midst of the second conference semifinal contest at the time of writing.

A Stingers victory would mean the Sea Bears host on Saturday. A Bandits victory would send Winnipeg heads to Langley, B.C. to take on the top-seeded club in the West.

“Important to get that first one out the way,” said Moon, who delivered a cool 20 points and dished out nine assists in 39:57 of action. “Obviously, a lot of pressure leading up to it, not having won a playoff game here. But I think it’ll be great for the group. We got this win. We’ll regroup and get ready for whoever we play on Saturday.”

Being down several mainstays meant Winnipeg would need others to step up in the scoring department.

Jelani Watson-Gayle obliged, leading the hosts with a CEBL career-high 27 points on the strength of six three-pointers in 29:08 of action off the bench.

It was an outstanding performance for the British-born guard, who made his mark as a clutch player in his first stint with the Sea Bears in 2023 and returned to the club late this season.

Watson-Gayle came alive down the stretch, delivering a four-point play and then splashing another three-pointer to give the hosts a 90-74 lead heading into Target Score Time.

He went on to deliver another five points in Target Score Time, setting up Moon’s two free-throw makes to ice the game.

“I felt like I was due one of those games,” said Watson-Gayle, who shot 64 per cent from the field. “I haven’t really been the most happy with my performances so far, so it was good. It came at the right time.”

The other pieces fell perfectly into place.

Isiah Osborne busted his shooting slump to the tune of 19 points, while Trey McGowens chipped in with 14 points in 15:30 of action. Simon Hildebrandt got in on the action with seven points, including a pair of timely three-pointers.

And then there was D.J. Burns, who has become a beloved figure by fans for his energetic play and delivered one of his signature performances in a supporting role where he provided seven points and seven rebounds.

“I think tonight was a real testament to the depth that we’ve had the entire season,” said head coach Mike Raimbault. “And we had a lot of confidence in the guys that they were going to step up in opportunities. We said it, and it’s a bit of a cliché, but next person up, and a lot of guys stepped into a little bit bigger opportunity and delivered.”

The Sea Bears were in control from the opening tip, connecting on each of their first six shots from the field, including three from beyond the arc. They rode the roars of the crowd with every bucket.

The hosts were rewarded for their efforts with a 32-21 lead after the first quarter on the strength of a solid 57 per cent shooting efficiency from the field. A defensive struggle broke out in the second quarter, but Winnipeg increased its advantage to 14 as it took a 53-39 lead into halftime, and then 78-67 heading into the final frame.

Saskatoon, which had attempted and converted the most buckets from deep range this season, finished nine-for-26 from that distance, as the Sea Bears kept their sharpshooters at bay.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the effort and the attention to detail. If you look at two turnovers for the entirety of the game, I mean, we knew that we needed to be good in transition defence; the level of concentration and commitment to doing the small things from our group, from top to bottom, was exemplary,” said Raimbault.

“There were some outside distractions throughout the week, but the group really never wavered in terms of their professionalism and their approach, and their belief that we could get the job done tonight.”

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