Sea Bears Take Down 2025 CEBL Champs Niagara 97-71

One game after letting a lead slip away, the Winnipeg Sea Bears made sure there would be no repeat. Powered by a balanced offensive attack and a suffocating defensive effort, Winnipeg dismantled the Niagara River Lions 97-71 on Friday night at Canada Life Centre, improving to 3-1 on the 2026 CEBL season.

After dropping a 103-101 heartbreaker to Scarborough on Tuesday, the Sea Bears came out with renewed intensity and never let up. Winnipeg led wire-to-wire, outscoring the River Lions in all four quarters and holding Niagara to just seven points in a punishing fourth quarter. 

Teddy Allen set the tone, finishing with a game-high 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting to go along with eight assists, six rebounds, and six steals.

Teddy says his game “has more experience, trying to do everything that I am capable of doing on the floor to make an all around difference. We got a bunch of hard workers, Coach Raimbault established a good culture of just playing hard, and we just follow in those footsteps.” 

The biggest spark off the bench came from Armani Chaney, who was virtually automatic from three-point range — knocking down five of his seven attempts for 15 points. Chaney has quickly become a crowd favourite at Canada Life Centre with his relentless energy on both ends.

"I just try to be aggressive," Chaney said. "Teams guard me differently, so I just try to pick my spots. If I get the look from three, I'm gonna take it." He added that the atmosphere inside the building made a real difference: "You can feel the energy in the crowd, the electricity through your veins. I play off that spark — the tenacity, the dirty work stuff. That's what fans like, and I just try to bring that edge."

The Sea Bears dominated the game's secondary stats as well. Winnipeg turned Niagara's 17 turnovers into 24 points, scored 40 in the paint, and added 24 on the fast break. Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. was a near-perfect 5-of-6 from the field for 13 points, Trey McGowens chipped in 14, and Davion Warren contributed 12 off the bench.

Head coach and general manager Mike Raimbault credited the day-before preparation for the team's sharp showing.

"After the game Tuesday, we felt like maybe we let one slip," Raimbault said. "We actually had a pretty vigorous practice the day before, which maybe we don't always do; but we had a few things we felt like we needed to do at full speed. Shout out to the guys for stepping up and being more physical today. There's still a lot of work to do to continue getting better, but I think we just looked at the things we could improve upon and went to work."

Raimbault also reflected on the trust being built in the locker room: "So far they've definitely bought into the things we're asking them to do. Tonight could be someone else's night, and tomorrow could be your day, and regardless; we have to have a collective effort and play together. So far, so good."

For Niagara, Donald Carey Jr. led all scorers with 15 points, but Winnipeg held the River Lions to just 33% shooting from the floor and limited their offence at every turn.

The Sea Bears are back at Canada Life Centre on Friday, June 12 at 7:00 PM against the Calgary Surge for Filipino Heritage Night. Get your single game tickets today.