First quarter ‘Surge' carries Calgary to first win on home court
Tenacity, a familiar opponent and scrappy play carried the Calgary Surge to their second straight victory against the Winnipeg Sea Bears, a 93-61 win.
Their home-opening 32-point victory was the largest margin of the year, pushing their overall record to three wins and one loss.
The team's dominance was encapsulated by a third-quarter
Greg Brown III
fast-break dunk, a basket that increased the team's lead to 29 points.
Surge head coach Kaleb Canales said the team fed off the home-opener's energy.
'A game is tough to win, home or road. We absolutely love our fans and the energy they bring,' he said.
'We had circled this day because we knew it was our home opener and it was going to be special.'
The game wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for the Surge, as Brown III fouled-out of the game after receiving his fifth foul, a technical, after an altercation with Sea Bears player Emmanual Akot with just under five minutes left on the clock.
'I'm literally just trying to get to my spot. So, I'm like, 'move because you're in my way,' and then he just starts cussing at me for something,' Brown said,
describing the altercation
.
'I'm looking, they (the referees) say double technical. I'm like, 'I didn't say anything, but how (you) gonna call me for a technical (when) I didn't say anything.'
Without Brown III, the game was held in the hands of 'Rugzy' Miller-Moore, after he was fouled with a single point remaining before the team hit the target score.
After hitting his shot and clinching the victory for his team, Miller-Moore said he was happy he didn't air-ball another shot.
'It feels good to win, however fashion,' said Miller-Moore, who recorded his 200 CEBL assist in Sunday's game.
'I went for the three, I air-balled that, I air-balled a free throw earlier in the game, so I'm just glad I was able to hit the biggest free throw of the game to seal the game and go home.'
After the victory, players including Brown III and Miller-Moore stayed on the floor, giving autographs and taking pictures with lucky fans.
The fan reception at the home-opener, along with the team's
Be-Well exhibition game
, is not the worst thing for Brown III.
'I love it, to be honest. In Mexico City, they show love, America, they show love. Coming to Canada, the other part of North America is great,' he said.
'I'm on my North American tour right now.'
Miller-Moore said that the 2025 home-opener 'felt different.'
'Last year, our home opener at the Saddledome was a little wonky, just because of the presentation and stuff like that,' he said.
'We had a little presentation today and some guys were losing focus, but we came out strong, I'm glad they didn't let that affect them.'
However bleak for Surge fans, the team's opening games away from home helped connect a mostly unfamiliar group.
Canales said that team chemistry has been 'a big' part of the team's success so far.
'We want to use it to our advantage. You're together at airports, you're together at meals and we wanted to use that as an opportunity to build chemistry,' he said.
'It's connected us early, we've been at airports, on buses, on Ubers, we've been together.'
Brown III said that being with your teammates off the floor directly impacts on-court production.
'Doing things with your teammates actually helps you build chemistry. Now let's say you're my teammate, he messed up something, he knows you have his back in the game, but you have my back in life,' he said.
As a new roommate of Jameer Nelson Jr., Brown III said the pairing mostly keep to themselves.
'I just let him be him, he lets me be me, we co-exist,' he said.
'Day to day, cleaning, cooking, we don't even say anything, he'll tackle the dishes, I'll tackle the stove top clean up, we just on one accord.'
For a full-game box score, visit
CEBL.com
The team continues their season Thursday,
against the Brampton Honey Badgers
.
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