6 Things We Learned After The Surge's 95-87 Win Over Saskatchewan
The Calgary Surge won their third straight game to extend their lead over Winnipeg for third in the West.
Stef Smith drives on Saskatchewan’s Emmanuel Bandoumel Sunday afternoon (photo via Brayden Elliott (@bray.elliott) @calgarysurge on Twitter/X)
The Calgary Surge captured their third straight victory with a 95-87 win over the Saskatchewan Rattlers Sunday afternoon in Saskatoon. Calgary sweeps the season series against the Rattlers to improve their record to 9-7. Saskatchewan falls to 6-10 as their playoff hopes dwindle even further.
With four games to go for the Calgary Surge, here is what we learned after their crucial win over the Rattlers.
1. Never count them out
The Calgary Surge show their resilience again after trailing at halftime and mounting a comeback to ultimately win. We’ve seen situations like this time and time again but this team never backs down. I don’t know what head coach Tyrell Vernon says to them in the locker room but whatever it is, the team gets going for him. I got to give a lot of credit to Vernon for his game management. The rookie bench boss has done an incredible job with this team and should have his name in the Coach of the Year conversation.
Calgary possesses a clutch gene that runs through nearly every member on that roster. You can run up and down the lineup to choose someone to take the last shot. However, if it were my choice, I know who I would want to take it.
2. Stef Smith might be the best player in the CEBL
Who would I want to take the last on my team? Probably a guy named Stef Smith.
Smith returned to the lineup after missing Thursday’s game against Vancouver with a lower-body injury. Tyrell Vernon opted to have Smith come off the bench and keep Kyler Edwards in the starting lineup. Clearly unfazed by the decision, Smith scored a season-high 29 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 28 minutes against the Rattlers.
Smith has been able to take a different role with Calgary this year since joining the team, focusing much more on scoring and perimeter defence and less on playmaking. He’s left a lot of the ball distribution to fellow point guard Corey Davis Jr., who recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists on Sunday. The backcourt duo looks like a match made in heaven and perform exceptionally together despite possessing a similar skillset that could often get in the way of one another.
A late arrival to the team has taken Smith out of any award conversation but if he had been around from game one, he would likely be near the top of the MVP rankings and the clear frontrunner for Canadian Player of the Year.
3. The Rattlers hate playing against Smith
Early in the third quarter on Sunday, Rattlers’ play-by-play announcer Simon Hiatt commented on Stef Smith’s play against Saskatchewan while he shot a pair of free throws by saying, “There’s noted Rattler-killer Stef Smith at the line.”
Little did Hiatt know, he was foreshadowing another rattling performance by Smith against Saskatchewan.
Smith scored 10 straight points in target time including two three and the game-winner that kissed high off the glass before gracefully falling through the nylon and sending Rattlers fans packing. The guard gave a cheeky “shush” to a fan sitting courtside to remind everyone that Smith is not to be trifled with when playing in Saskatchewan.
Last season, Smith ended the Rattlers playoff hopes with a three-point dagger at SaskTel Centre (see below). While he didn’t officially end Saskatchewan’s postseason ambitions on Sunday, he dealt a serious blow to them.
4. The 2024 Surge are better than the 2023 Surge
This might be a hot take, especially since the 2023 team finished first in the Western Conference with a 12-8 and eventually made it all the way to the championship game before falling just shy of capturing the ring.
In 2023, the Surge were 8-8 after 16 games before finishing the regular season on a four-game heater. This year, Calgary is 9-7 with four games left and look like they cannot be stopped.
Last season’s version of the Surge is very different compared to this year’s. In 2023, Calgary had the league’s most feared and complete defence led by Admon Gilder, Kylor Kelley, Mason Bourcier and Simi Shittu. Although they were a nightmare to score on, the Surge were not the best at scoring the ball themselves. They were among the league’s worst on offence and possessed the worst three-point percentage (30.0%).
Surge GM Shane James made it a priority to address 2023’s shooting woes when assembling 2024’s squad. The team went from the basement when shooting from deep to the top of the league. Their 39.5% three-point percentage in 2024 puts them at number one in the CEBL. Their roster boasts arguably the league’s best shooter from deep, Mathieu Kamba while also having strong shooting pieces like Corey Davis Jr., Stef Smith and Malcolm Duvivier. Even with the departures of Trhae Mitchell and Justin Lewis to the NBA Summer League, Calgary is still dangerous from beyond the arc which has also opened up the offence for other opportunities inside.
Calgary’s Corey Davis Jr. and Jordy Tshimanga run a pick-n-roll against the Rattlers’ Cody John. (photo via Brayden Elliott (@bray.elliott) @calgarysurge on Twitter/X)
While the defence isn’t quite as suffocating as last year, it is still one of the league’s best. Led by Davis Jr., the Surge average the third most steals per game, keeping their opponents honest while on offence. One defensive area that is not as exceptional as 2023 is their rim protection. Early in the year, it looked like it would be something that would burden the team the entire year, as opponents were scoring with ease at the rim. The Surge have been much better since their earlier struggles but it’s still not quite what they had in 2023. Not having Kylor Kelley on the roster is going to do that to you.
5. The West is starting to shape up
With Saskatchewan’s loss on Sunday, both the Vancouver Bandits and Edmonton Stingers have clinched playoff spots.
For Edmonton, it provides them relief after having the opportunity to clinch for the last few games but falling short. The Stingers have struggled as of late and are amid a three-game losing skid which has allowed the Bandits to jump into first in the conference.
The wild Western Conference has kept everyone guessing all year and by no means is it done yet. We now know that any team can be anyone else in the West, especially after Calgary beat Edmonton and Vancouver in back-to-back games. While it’s unlikely that the Surge can leapfrog their two rivals, it’s still possible.
Calgary has given themselves a little bit of a cushion over Winnipeg for the third spot but the two teams still have a couple of games against each other down the stretch of the campaign. Saskatchewan is fighting for their life at this point with the playoff light shrinking as each day passes.
Despite the West taking shape, it is now evident that the team to beat in the CEBL is the Niagara River Lions. The River Lions hold the league’s best record, 12-5 and have a five-game winning streak.
6. Still lots of work to do
The Surge return to WinSport to host the 2024 CEBL Championship Weekend host, the Montreal Alliance on Friday, July 19.
The Alliance don’t have much to play for in the regular season because they have an automatic bye to the Eastern Conference Final. Although they’ll be one of the league’s final four teams in 2024, they sit dead last in the standings with a 4-12 record.
Despite not having to play for a playoff spot, Montreal still has the chance to play spoiler. The Surge should not take them lightly and capitalize on the chance of inching closer to the playoffs.
Something for Calgary fans to keep an eye on is the status of Sean “Rugzy” Miller-Moore. The Canadian star returned to the lineup against Saskatchewan after missing Thursday's game with an injury but only registered two points in 21 minutes on Sunday. He also did not play in target score time. My guess is he’s still not quite 100% but the team has been very hesitant to provide much information on his health.
Such a shame that Montreal doesn’t have a better team with the automatic placement in the playoffs. At least this year it’s not impacting the west.
🚨 Kylor Kelly shout out! 🚨