Bandits hold off Surge for 99-97 win, advance to Championship Final

Mitch Creek’s 27-point performance helped the Vancouver Bandits stave off a late Calgary Surge rally on Friday for an 89-87 win at Verdun Auditorium.

The import forward set a franchise single-game playoff scoring record with the game-high performance as he helped the Bandits advance to their second-ever Championship Final appearance.

Helping the Aussie on the night was league MVP Tazé Moore who finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, and Nick Ward who put up 17 points, eight rebounds and five blocks off the bench.

Zach Copeland had arguably his quietest game of the season, finishing with just nine points on 3-for-11 shooting, but that didn’t stop Bandits’ head coach Kyle Julius from having the import guard on the floor for Target Score Time.

“There’s no way we can play (Target Score Time) without Zach,” Bandits head coach Kyle Julius said post-game reflecting on the victory.

Julius’ gamble paid off as Copeland received a pass off a Koby McEwen offensive rebound and drilled his lone three of the contest to send Vancouver to the Championship Final.

On the other side, the Surge fell just short of a second consecutive Final appearance despite erasing what was once an 11-point second half deficit. Leading the charge was Corey Davis Jr. who finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals.

“We knew it was going to be a very hard-nosed basketball game,” Davis Jr. said following the loss. “The ball didn’t land the way we wanted to, we had multiple chances to win the game … the basketballs didn’t let the ball bounce our way.”

Behind Davis. Jr was Malcolm Duvivier who scored 16 points off the bench with on four-for-eight shooting from distance and Sean Miller-Moore who put up 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

It came as no surprise that two of the league’s top defensive squads opened Friday’s contest by mucking things up inside. Neither team found any early success in the paint as Vancouver and Calgary both shot below 40 per cent inside the arc through the first 10 minutes of play. 

What ended up splitting the difference was a quarter-ending 9-2 run by the Surge courtesy of timely shooting from distance. Calgary knocked down back-to-back-to-back triples -- capped off by Justin Jackson hitting one from the right corner at the buzzer – to lead 23-20 after the first frame.

It was short lived, however, as the Bandits went on a 9-2 run of their own in the second quarter. Creek spearheaded the charge as he scored all nine of those points as part of a game-high 18 in the first half. Vancouver made sure not to waste the import’s effort as Copeland drilled a step back jumper from the left elbow in the dying seconds of the frame to put the Bandits up 47-41, the largest lead of either team at the break.

“It’s about taking what comes,” Creek said on his record-setting performance after the win. “It’s a reflection of the team and culture we have … it’s not about points or steals … it’s about winning.”

After struggling to score against the Surge’s interior defence in the opening quarter, Vancouver found success in the second. By halftime, the Bandits had shot 52 per cent from inside the arc for 20 points in the paint (plus-12).

Vancouver kept that trend going as action resumed in the second half, going on a 10-0 run in third quarter, scoring all but two of those points at the rim. The most emphatic basket of that run came courtesy of a fastbreak alley-oop dunk from Moore off a slick feed from Copeland.

And despite trailing by as many as 11 points in the third, the Surge responded with an 11-4 run that once again came courtesy of knocking down shots from distance. Calgary hit three triples in the final three minutes of the frame to cut the deficit to 70-67 ahead of the fourth.

The Surge hit 12 threes (plus-seven) through the first 30 minutes of play on a 44 per cent clip, once again proving how three-point shooting can be the great equalizer.

Calgary hit four more threes in the fourth quarter -- a Davis Jr. triple in Target Score Time even briefly giving the Surge an 83-82 lead – but ultimately it wasn’t enough. Ward threw down a dunk and split a pair of free throws and Creek drilled a three before Copeland supplanted himself as the game’s hero by knocking down the game winner.

“It was a dog fight,” Surge head coach Tyrell Vernon said reflecting on the loss. “I’m proud of my group, it’s not the way we wanted it to end but definitely proud … sometimes (shots) don’t fall.”

Vancouver’s efficiency inside the arc (50 per cent) proved too much for Calgary to overcome who simply couldn’t keep up, shooting 25 per cent on two-point shots. The Bandits ended up a plus-28 (42-14) on points in the paint.

“For us it’s always about one more thing, and right now it’s about one more win and we’ll be champions,” said Creek.

Up next

With the win, the Bandits await the winner of Friday’s Eastern Conference Final between the Niagara River Lions and host Montréal Alliance.

The Surge head home.

– CEBL –

About the CEBL

A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 10 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN, TSN+, RDS, Game+, Next Level Sports & Entertainment and Courtside1891. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.