Riding a Wave of Momentum, Sea Bears Head East to Face the Scarborough Shooting Stars

The Winnipeg Sea Bears hit the road Tuesday for their first away test since opening night, travelling to Scarborough to take on the Shooting Stars in a 10 a.m. CT tip.

It will be a quick turnaround and a long flight for a group still buzzing from Saturday’s 108-96 dismantling of the Saskatoon Mamba at Canada Life Centre, a performance that saw the Sea Bears eclipse the 100-point mark for the first time since July 2024 and improve to 2-0 on the young season. Winnipeg sits atop the Western Conference standings, while the Shooting Stars (1-0) are slotted second in the East behind the unbeaten Brampton Honey Badgers.

The early returns under first-year head coach Mike Raimbault have been exactly what this franchise needed. An identity is forming. The offence is clicking. And the locker room is clearly buying in.

“We had a small training camp and we were trying to cram everything into so many days,” centre Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. said after Saturday’s win. “We got our first win on the road, came home and got a win. It’s given us confidence to know we can play and fight through adversity.”

Tilmon has been the story of the early season. The big man followed up his 14-point, eight-rebound effort in the opener at Edmonton with a dominant 24-point, 11-rebound double-double against the Mamba, establishing himself as a two-way force. He’ll need to be just as effective Tuesday against a Scarborough front line that features the size and physicality of Aamir Simms.



“He’s been tremendous right from the start of training camp,” Raimbault said of Tilmon. “What he does on the defensive end, cleaning up mistakes from the backside, he just makes things difficult around the rim. He’s been a really great anchor for us on both ends of the floor.”

Teddy Allen put up 22 points on Saturday in what his coach called an off night. That kind of floor from your best player is a luxury most teams don’t have. Allen was the one who vouched for Tilmon during the offseason, and the pairing is already paying dividends.

“I remember in the summer when coaches asked me what big man we should look at, I was like, look at Tilmon,” Allen said. “I know he’s really good. He’s our anchor on defence, and he also had it going on offence tonight too.”

The bench has been a genuine strength. David Walker posted 12 points, five rebounds and four assists off the pine on Saturday, and Raimbault noted that nine players logged significant minutes. That depth will be tested on what amounts to the team’s first real road stretch.

In a roster move ahead of Tuesday’s game, forward Nathan Bilamu has been added to the 14-man roster. The 6-foot-5 Hamilton, Ontario product returns for his second season with the Sea Bears after averaging 5.5 points and 3.1 rebounds across 20 games in 2025. Bilamu spent the winter playing professionally in Portugal, and his versatility and energy off the bench could be a factor as the schedule picks up.

The Challenge Ahead

Scarborough is a team that knows how to compete. The Shooting Stars opened the 2026 season with a road victory and will be eager to carry that energy into their first home date, with a roster loaded with scoring talent and professional experience at every position.

Cat Barber, the CEBL’s second all-time leading scorer, is back and remains one of the most dangerous guards in the league.

The Sea Bears will also need to account for Kyle Duke, a 6-foot-3 guard from Toronto who adds another layer of backcourt depth, and the likes of Kyree Walker who can create matchup problems with his length and versatility on the wing.

Winnipeg’s defensive identity will be put to the test. Raimbault’s group held the Mamba to 96 points on Saturday despite Saskatoon captain Tavian Dunn-Martin pouring in 30. The challenge now is replicating that effort 2,000 kilometres from home, on a quick turnaround, against a roster built to score.

The Bigger Picture

Two games into the season, this feels like a different Sea Bears team. The offence generated 20 assists on just nine turnovers against the Mamba, a massive improvement from the opener. The depth is real. The chemistry, even with a condensed training camp, is building fast.

When asked about the identity he’s instilling, Raimbault offered a phrase that’s starting to stick.

“We want to play with some grit and we want to have a defensive toughness about us. Prairie Dirt. We want to play unselfishly, play with heart, and be the team that doesn’t quit no matter what the circumstances.”

Tuesday morning, that identity goes on the road for the first real stress test of the summer.