Hildebrandt Hits the Game Winner as a Short-Handed Sea Bears Complete the Perfect Sweep of Edmonton, 97-93
Two starters unavailable. A third gone in the second quarter. The local kid hit the shot anyway. Winnipeg goes 4-0 against the Stingers and 7-0 at home.
It came down to one possession. Edmonton doubled Teddy Allen, he found Simon Hildebrandt, and the Winnipeg native knocked down the go-ahead shot. Canada Life Centre erupted. The Sea Bears held on for a 97-93 win on Space Jam Night, completing a perfect 4-0 season sweep of the Edmonton Stingers.
This one came down to the wire. Trevon Scott and Trey McGowens were out, and Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. exited in the second quarter, leaving Winnipeg to rely on depth it had been quietly building all season.
The night belonged to Mason Kraus. Making his first career professional start, the University of Manitoba product stepped into the lead guard role and delivered 9 points, 3 assists, and about 30 minutes of composed basketball.
"I knew I had to contribute more in different ways," Kraus said. "Once I had my first shot, all the nerves went away. At the end of the day, it's just basketball."
He wasn't alone. Hildebrandt finished with 21 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including three three-pointers and a perfect 6-of-6 from the line. D.J. Burns stepped into a bigger role on the boards after Tilmon Jr. exited, finishing with 7 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
"Just doing whatever I needed to do to help the team win," Burns said. "Whether that was rebounding, being the toughness of the team, I'm just thankful coach trusted me."
For Hildebrandt, the game-winner was a product of everyone doing their part. "Each one of those rebounds, each one of those deflections, each one of those extra passes all contributed to the win today,” said Hildebrandt. “There's something special with this team and this building."
Allen finished with 33 points and 7 assists, including the one that mattered most. Head Coach Mike Raimbault didn't miss it.
"He makes the simple basketball play that gives Simon a chance to hit the game winner," Raimbault said. "I can't speak enough about how much he has bought into all of the things we're asking him to do."
Winnipeg is now 7-0 at home and first in the Western Conference. Next up: Sunday, July 12 vs. the Calgary Surge at Canada Life Centre.