Back-to-Back: Sea Bears Look to Carry the Momentum to Montreal
Coming off the highest-scoring game in franchise history, the Winnipeg Sea Bears (4-3) head to Montreal Friday night looking to build on the momentum of a statement performance.
Thursday's 117-88 win over the Ottawa BlackJacks was as complete as it gets, a franchise record for points and a dominant performance from start to finish.
There is, however, a significant subplot heading into Friday. The Sea Bears lost two Canadian players to injury in Ottawa, Emmanuel Akot departed just 2:36 into the game, and Kyler Filewich followed during the third quarter. Tune in tonight to find out if both are back on the floor, or if the team is calling on David Walker to make the trip to Montreal to help fill the Canadian void.
Head Coach Mike Raimbault acknowledged just how important Akot is to the group. "He's super important to what we do. He's a pivotal part of our group and we wish him a speedy return."
Reflecting on Thursday night's performance, Raimbault was positive. "We played without some bigger lapses and showed the toughness to win multiple possessions in a row. From start to finish, it was probably our most complete game so far." Let's hope the Sea Bears bring that same energy into tonight's game in Montreal.
Simon Hildebrandt, who scored 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting Thursday night, knows what the group will need from its depth on Friday. "Just try to do all the little things, play good defense, rebound, hit open shots, be unselfish, and keep getting guys like Teddy and Tilmon the ball. I think it'll be a good night."
Tune in at 6:30 PM CT on CBC Gem, cbcsports.ca, CBC Sports YouTube, CEBL+