Kraus steps up in first start as Sea Bears beat Stingers

Mason Kraus has played his role — and played it well — all summer.

A true three-and-D who has hit a few timely buckets and played a part in the Winnipeg Sea Bears becoming one of the stingiest defensive units in the Canadian Elite Basketball League.

On Thursday, though, with Trey McGowens sidelined by injury, the hometown product was elevated to a starting role for the first time in his career that demanded much more than the 16.8 minutes he’s averaged off the bench, and like the first-year pro has done each time he’s been challenged this season, Kraus answered the bell in a nail-biting 97-93 victory for the Sea Bears over the Edmonton Stingers at Canada Life Centre.

“I knew I was a little nervous going into it, but once I hit my first shot, all the nerves went away,” said Kraus, whose nine points and three assists went beyond the box score. “At the end of the day, it’s just basketball, and we practise so many days of the week, so many times we just went through repping me in the point guard position, me coming off the bench as a two guard as well. So just coming in, that practice makes perfect.”

Kraus has had moments where he’s commanded the spotlight, such as when he delivered the game-winning free throw in the club’s season-opener, but has largely remained quiet as he’s gone about his business on the court.

There’s nothing flashy about Kraus’ play, but that’s not how he got here. He impressed head coach Mike Raimbault by doing the little things right and being reliable on both ends of the floor, and there was no reason to change that.

“He’s played such big minutes. I guess it’s a bigger thing to start for you guys than it is for me. I mean, I just look at he plays such a big role for us in every game. So if he’s starting the game as opposed to playing extended minutes previously, I mean, to me, I really didn’t look at it any differently,” said Raimbault.

“His role in terms of having to play a little bit more lead guard was different tonight, but we have a lot of trust in his ability to impact the game at the defensive end. I think he did a great job of picking and choosing his spots on the offensive side, and he continues to flourish in all of his opportunities.”

Kraus logged 29:50 of court time on Thursday. His previous season-high was 25.1 minutes against Calgary on June 14.

The Sea Bears got out of the gates slow, missing 10 of their first 11 shots. It was a three-pointer from Kraus that opened up a solid run of play in the first half, however. Winnipeg connected on 16 of their next 28 attempts.

Then there were the little things like Kraus stopping a one-on-three as the lone man back in the third quarter, drawing a second offensive foul in the fourth quarter or coming down with a huge rebound in Target Score Time. It all made the difference.

“I knew I had to contribute more in different ways and try to be more of the point guard role, which I’ve kind of done more of a combo guard this year, but I knew I had to do more in the point guard position,” Kraus said. “I was bringing it up, get guys in their spots, and then let them figure it out.”

Winnipeg improved to 7-0 at home and 11-5 overall this season, while sweeping the regular season series against the Stingers.

Teddy Allen continued his MVP case, leading all players with 33 points, adding seven assists and five rebounds. Simon Hildebrandt supplied a crucial 21 points and six rebounds off the bench.

Otherwise, the Sea Bears displayed perhaps their most resilient performance of the season.

The club looked well on its way to another convincing victory before Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. was handed back-to-back technical fouls and ejected from the game in the dying moments of the opening half, leaving the club with Teddy Allen and DJ Burns as the only imports available to play and relying heavily on their Canadian talent.

The Sea Bears were also without Trevon Scott, who was listed on the active roster but did not dress. 2026 U Sports draft pick Kato Jaro was elevated to the 14-man active roster for Thursday’s contest but did not play.

The Stingers went right at Tilmon Jr.’s vacancy, too, scoring 37 points in the paint in the second half, and holding as much as a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter.

The Sea Bears weathered the storm, though, even when it felt like they wouldn’t.

“I think there’s something special with this team in this building; I think we all know it,” said Hildebrandt, who also scored the game-winning bucket.

“I think the way the team was built, the way we all compete, the way we all trust each other, the way we all play together— it’s a really special group. And that showed tonight, being down so many key contributors, and having so many guys step up in roles that I think we all believe behind closed doors that guys can do that. But it was really good to have these guys have their chance to show what they can do in front of the big crowd at home.”

Raimbault said both Scott and McGowens were close to playing and that he wouldn’t be shocked if they both played on Sunday against the Calgary Surge at Canada Life Centre (2:30 p.m.).

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