Surge complete narrow comeback over Honey Badgers in physical battle
Published
Despite missing 20 free throws, the Calgary Surge came through at the line when it mattered most.
During Target Score Time, six free throws and three putbacks vaulted the Surge to a comeback win.
Calgary trailed by as many as 15 in the fourth quarter, but fought back in a slower-paced game to earn its third-straight victory.
Surge guard Jameer Nelson Jr. said staying resilient and focusing on each possession led to the turnaround.
“We just kept checking each other in the timeouts and just saying, ‘Nobody else is gonna do it’. The guys we got on the floor – we got nobody else with us – so we just had to make it happen,” Nelson Jr. said.
Physicality was the story of the game, with frequent whistles and opportunities at the line for both teams. Five players – including four Brampton starters – fouled out in the second half.
Brampton was efficient from the free-throw line at 73 per cent while Calgary struggled at 51 per cent, but the Honey Badgers only outscored their opponents by one point at the stripe.
Despite Brampton’s efforts to slow the pace and make it harder on Calgary in the paint, the Surge still won the paint battle 40-28 and the fast break battle 11-0. Second-chance points also made a difference, with a 12-4 advantage for Calgary, including six in Target Score Time.
The trio of Nelson Jr., Sean Miller-Moore and Greg Brown III continued to fuel the Surge attack. Nelson Jr. netted a game-high 24 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, to help lead the comeback.
Miller-Moore scored 19 on an off night from the field, adding seven assists, five rebounds and three steals. Brown III showcased his two-way prowess with 17 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
Meanwhile, the top three scorers for Brampton all had their nights cut short after fouling out.
Quinndary Weatherspoon was on pace for an incredible evening with 18 points and eight assists when he picked up his fifth foul in the third quarter.
Amari Kelly and Koby McEwen both fouled out in Target Score Time, with 17 and 14 points respectively.
The loss drops Brampton’s record to 0-5 early in the season. Brampton head coach Sheldon Cassimy said the wins will come if the team continues to play at the same level as Thursday.
“When we play with execution in mind and follow the gameplan and stick together we did today, I’m sure the result will be different,” Cassimy said.
To open the game, both teams struggled from long range and shot a combined one-for-11 from three. Calgary led by as many as seven but Brampton made a run late in the quarter to close the gap to 21-18 after 10 minutes.
The second quarter turned into a foul-heavy defensive battle featuring five lead changes and three ties, before the Honey Badgers protected the paint and sparked an 11–3 run. Brampton maintained a lead for the majority of the frame, but Calgary fought back with a late 6-2 run to head into the locker room tied at 41.
The physicality continued into the third quarter but Brampton emerged with a comfortable lead. The referees were busy and both teams were frequent visitors to the free-throw line.
The Honey Badgers went on a 15-4 run to open the half, powered by threes from McEwen and Weatherspoon.
The Surge seized momentum after a scuffle midway through the quarter that led to an unsportsmanlike foul, ending Prince Oduro’s night.
Calgary went on a 7-0 run after the unsportsmanlike, but three consecutive trips to the charity stripe for the Honey Badgers slowed the momentum. Brampton held a 10-point lead heading into the fourth.
McEwen and Muenkat helped the Honey Badgers extend the lead to 15 early in the fourth, but the Surge stayed resilient. A timely 8–2 run before Target Score Time, highlighted by clutch threes from Nelson Jr. and Gabe Osabuohien made it a five-point game. It set the stage for a tense Target Score Time finish.
Osabuohien and Kelly both fouled out early in Target Score Time, including a foul on a Brown III putback. McEwen made an acrobatic finish to get Brampton’s first bucket in the final stretch, before fouling out on the other end.
The next eight combined points all came at the free throw line, before a Miller-Moore putback and a corner three from Brown III put Calgary one point away from victory. After a contested attempt at the rim from Miller-Moore, Osayi Osifo snagged the rebound and sealed the comeback with a putback layup.
Box Score
https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600582
Up next for both teams
Brampton returns home after the Alberta road trip to face the Montréal Alliance on Wednesday (June 4), while Calgary sets its sights on the Vancouver Bandits at Langley Events Centre this Sunday (June 1).
Next CEBL action
Saskatchewan searches for its first win of the campaign in a rematch with Niagara on Friday, while the undefeated Vancouver Bandits visit the Edmonton Stingers. For the full 2025 CEBL schedule and up-to-date results, please visit cebl.ca/games.