{"id":854680,"date":"2026-08-11T23:00:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T23:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/854680\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T23:00:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T23:00:12","slug":"winnipeg-sea-bears-defy-odds-surge-into-cebl-championship-series-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/854680\/","title":{"rendered":"Winnipeg\u00a0Sea Bears defy odds, surge into CEBL championship series"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Winnipeg\u00a0Sea Bears entered the postseason on a hope and a prayer, but an impressive playoff run now leaves the franchise just two wins away from earning its first Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) championship.<\/p>\n

The Sea Bears were dealt a tough hand on the eve of the playoffs when three starters were suddenly ruled out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Left to rebuild the club\u2019s chemistry, the remaining roster rallied to win back-to-back playoff games to punch their ticket to the finals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were missing a lot of guys, and even a lot of the announcers, I felt people were writing us off,\u201d said forward Simon Hildebrandt. \u201cSo we kind of went in there like, \u2018Hey, let\u2019s give them our best shot.\u2019 Nobody really believed in us but us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winnipeg\u00a0now faces the Brampton Honey Badgers in what will be the first multi-game championship series in league history. The best-of-three tips off in Brampton on Wednesday, before shifting to\u00a0Winnipeg\u00a0for Game 2 on Saturday and, if necessary, a deciding Game 3 on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Sea Bears guard Teddy Allen, who is the front-runner to win the league\u2019s player of the year award, was hospitalized after a violent altercation at a downtown nightclub. Meanwhile, defensive specialist Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. and\u00a0Winnipeg\u00a0native Emmanuel Akot also left after signing contracts with clubs in Turkey and Mexico, respectively.<\/p>\n

Without Allen, who led the CEBL with an average of nearly 28 points per game, the Sea Bears have had to retool their offensive attack. Much of the workload landed on Xavier Moon, a former three-time CEBL Player of the Year and two-time league champion who signed with\u00a0Winnipeg\u00a0this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re very resilient. When we\u2019re connected, we\u2019re a very hard team to beat,\u201d Moon said. \u201cA lot of guys want to prove what they can do. Everybody\u2019s doing that at their own pace. It\u2019s not going to be everybody\u2019s day, so you\u2019ve got to figure out what works best for what guys and in what games. I feel like we\u2019re doing the best we can with what we have.\u201d<\/p>\n

That team-first approach has paid off in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

Winnipeg\u00a0opened the postseason with a 99-88 home victory over the Saskatoon Mamba, who had won six of their previous seven games heading into the Western Conference semifinal.<\/p>\n

The No. 2-seeded Sea Bears followed that up by stunning the top-ranked Vancouver Bandits, 107-96, in the West final. Vancouver had clinched first place in the conference by beating\u00a0Winnipeg\u00a0on the final weekend of the regular season and entered the game as a heavy favourite.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey did a really good job of adjusting to different things that we asked them to do during the course of the game, and they played with massive confidence in one another,\u201d first-year head coach Mike Raimbault said. \u201cThe belief was there, and we went out as a group, and right from the start, you knew who the aggressor was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brampton finished second in the Eastern Conference with an 11-13 record.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Honey Badgers defeated the Ottawa BlackJacks in the East semifinal, before edging the Niagara River Lions in the conference final. Niagara had done a lot of the heavy lifting earlier in the postseason by knocking off reigning back-to-back CEBL champion Scarborough Shooting Stars, who finished with a league-best 20-4 record.<\/p>\n

The Honey Badgers were also 2-0 against the Sea Bears this season, claiming a pair of narrow wins. Brampton beat\u00a0Winnipeg\u00a096-92 back on May 25 and, most recently, edged the Sea Bears, 88-86, on July 25.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re really well coached and organized,\u201d Raimbault said. \u201cThey have a bulk of guys that can step up and shoot; their front is athletic and agile \u2014 they have a really talented group.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the series sweep, Raimbault is confident his players will be ready come tip-off.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe understand they\u2019re going to be a tall task,\u201d Raimbault added. \u201cWe\u2019ve continued to say that we have to take things one possession at a time, and we understand it\u2019s hard to win on the road. We\u2019re looking forward to that challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

The finals will also feature a notable story off the court, with the two clubs owned by siblings. David Asper runs the Sea Bears, while brother Leonard Asper leads the Honey Badgers.<\/p>\n

David Asper said there haven\u2019t been any friendly wagers on the series, but he\u2019s expecting a tight affair between two talented clubs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat it really comes down to is someone is going to be really happy, and someone is going to be really sad,\u201d Asper said. \u201cBut the biggest question I have is about our sister: who is Gail cheering for?\u201d\u2028<\/p>\n

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n

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