SEA BEARS MAKE HISTORY, PUNCH TICKET TO CEBL CHAMPIONSHIP WITH 107-96 WIN OVER VANCOUVER BANDITS

Shorthanded, tested, and playing more than 2,000 kilometres from home, the Sea Bears defeated the Vancouver Bandits 107-96 on Saturday afternoon to win the Western Conference Final and make franchise history. No Sea Bears team had ever gone this far and this group did it missing three starters.

Simon Hildebrandt was the story of the night, putting up 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting, draining four three-pointers and providing the steady hand Winnipeg needed throughout.



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."

Adversity arrived immediately. Xavier Moon, who finished with 24 points himself, picked up three fouls inside the first six-and-a-half minutes and was forced to watch from the bench through the remainder of the first quarter and all of the second. D.J. Burns ran into the same wall, collecting three fouls in the second quarter and spending a significant stretch on the pine as well.

Moon said it was a hard watch, but he stayed locked in.

"It was real tough, not being able to play," Moon said. "I tried to stay engaged, keep the guys as focused as I could. And once I got back in there, I just tried to keep doing what I was doing in that first quarter."

Through all of it - the missing starters, the foul trouble, the road crowd - the Sea Bears never blinked. Coach Mike Raimbault has said it from day one: this is a team with depth. On Saturday afternoon, the team proved him right. Hildebrandt and Moon's 24 each were supported by Trey McGowens' 18, D.J. Burns' 14, Isiah Osborne's 13, and Jelani Watson-Gayle's 11 off the bench, all of that coming one week after losing starters Teddy Allen, Jeremiah Tilmon Jr., and Emmanuel Akot.

Osborne added a piece of history of his own, draining his fifth target score winner of the season to tie the franchise record of 5, set by Jelani Watson-Gayle in 2023 and matched by Jalen Harris in 2025.

"We had so many guys come in and give big contributions," Hildebrandt said. "That next man up mentality was just unbelievable."

The Sea Bears head to Brampton for Game 1 of the CEBL Championship on Wednesday before bringing it all back home. August 15 and potentially August 16, both at 2:30pm, at Canada Life Centre. Get your tickets now - pack the building, and be part of Sea Bears history!