VIDEO: Vancouver Bandits edged out by Winnipeg in western finals
Published 5:10 pm Saturday, August 8, 2026
Shorthanded, and playing more than 2,000 kilometres from home, the Winnipeg Sea Bears defeated the Vancouver Bandits 107-96 on Saturday afternoon at the Langley Events Centre to win the Western Conference Final and make franchise history.
Shamar Givance was top Bandit, putting up 21 points in front of 3,985 fans at Langley Events Centre
Winnipeg’s Simon Hildebrandt was the story of the night, putting up 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting.
For Hildebrandt, reaching the CEBL Finals for the first time in franchise history, a week after losing three starters, was the realization of everything this team has been chasing since training camp opened.
“It means a lot,” Hildebrandt said. “We’ve battled a lot of adversity this year. It’s been our goal since day one. Playing as a true team today, we made it work.”
“We had so many guys come in and give big contributions,” Hildebrandt said. “That next man up mentality was just unbelievable.”
Sea Bears and Brampton Honey Badgers punched their tickets to the CEBL Finals with wins in Saturday’s Conference Finals, setting up the first best-of-three championship series in league history.
The Canadian Elite Basketball League confirmed the schedule for the CEBL Finals, which will run August 12–16.