Surge roll to convincing win over Rattlers

Calgary guard Evan Gilyard Jr., who joined the team after a June 26 loss to Saskatchewan, hit his stride with a second consecutive 30-point performance to lead the Surge to a 103-81 victory over the Rattlers on Tuesday (July 15) at SaskTel Centre.

The team-high 30 points included four threes and the game winner, almost a week after setting a franchise record with 37 points against Montréal.

“The guys have welcomed me with open arms. I’m coming in, playing aggressive, and still playing my style of game,” Gilyard Jr. said.

After a tight first quarter, the Surge pulled away in the second and third to earn their second straight win and first of the season against Saskatchewan.

“I feel like we came out in the second half and set the tone with our defence,” Gilyard Jr. said.

Greg Brown III added 17 points and seven rebounds to the Surge attack, while Khyri Thomas scored 12 points and Sean Miller-Moore contributed 11 points.

Calgary head coach Kaleb Canales said his team played a complete game that was to their standard.

“We knew it was going to be a tough matchup [and] tough environment against these guys but I felt we came to play today on both ends,” Canales said.

The Surge spoiled a record-breaking night for Saskatchewan guard Nate Pierre-Louis and a stellar debut for Tevian Jones.

Pierre-Louis set the CEBL single-season record for assists with another eight on Tuesday, surpassing the standard of 126 assists set by former Surge guard Corey Davis Jr. last season. With seven games remaining in the 2025 campaign, Pierre-Louis’ record sits at 131 assists.

Saskatchewan head coach Eric Magdanz said the passing from Pierre-Louis has been a highlight of their offence all season.

“Nate’s grown a ton as a point guard over the course of this season. His ability to move the ball and get into the key and draw two defenders has been a big part of what we’ve done,” Magdanz said.

Meanwhile, Jones had the green light in his first game with the Rattlers. The former Sea Bear netted a game-high 31 points on 12-20 shooting in the loss, including six threes.

“I think I incorporated pretty well. I was able to play off the guys out there … I feel like we could’ve played together a little bit more down the stretch. But I think, overall, for a first game it was good,” Jones said.

To open the game, recent acquisitions for both teams showcased their talent. Jones was on fire in his first quarter as a Rattler, dropping 13 points to lead all scorers after 10 minutes. On the other side, Gilyard Jr. scored at the rim and free-throw line while drilling jumpers from long range on his way to nine points in the first.

Calgary led for the majority of the first quarter, fueled by efforts on the offensive glass that led to a 7-1 advantage in second chance points. But the Surge squandered the extra possessions with a flurry of turnovers to close the frame. A corner three from Jones and a transition layup from Pierre-Louis provided Saskatchewan with its first lead of the game heading into the second.

The Surge regained the advantage in a back-and-forth start to the second quarter. Calgary wrestled away control of the contest with a 12-3 run capped off by a coast-to-coast finish from Brown III.

Saskatchewan stopped the run with a historic bucket. A Jones layup in transition came off the 127th assist of the season from Pierre-Louis – a CEBL single-season record. However, the Surge led 51-43 after 20 minutes.

Calgary came out of the halftime break with energy on both ends of the floor. Brown III was scorching hot in the frame, soaring for a dunk early in the quarter and drilling a trio of corner threes. The Surge dominated the quarter 24-12 and carried a 20-point lead into the fourth.

A 10-2 run early in the final quarter extended Calgary’s advantage to 28 points. However, Saskatchewan carved the deficit back to 18 heading into Target Score Time, highlighted by a massive putback slam from Jones.

Miller-Moore got things started in Target Score Time for Calgary before Jamorko Pickett pulled the visitors even closer with an and-one baseline jam. Gilyard Jr. put an exclamation point on the win with a scoop layup and game-winning pull-up three.

The Rattlers and Surge meet once more this season on Aug. 8 in Calgary.