Surge Stave Off BlackJacks in Key Victory
The Calgary Surge came out hungry and crashed the boards early to guide them to a key win against the Ottawa BlackJacks on Saturday afternoon.
The Surge, who grabbed 25 offensive rebounds, were led by their star duo of Jameer Nelson Jr. and Greg Brown III to a 112-101 victory over the BlackJacks. Nelson Jr. had a team high 29 points to go with six assists and four steals, which extended his CEBL single-season record to 53. Brown had 26 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
Sean Miller-Moore added 20 points with five rebounds and five assists for Calgary, while Evan Gilyard II had 13 points and eight assists, and Olumide Adelodun had 11 points off the bench.
“It’s part of our identity – it’s the effort. Offensive rebounds are usually about the effort, and I think we came in with the tunnel vision mindset today,” Calgary head coach Kaleb Canales said of his team. “We knew it was going to be a tough game on the road in a great environment, a well coached team, and we needed everything we got from everyone who played today.”
“I know on paper, analytically we’re not one of the top offensive rebounding teams,” he continued. “We’ve had nights like this, but I think this is a season high. I think our mindset was that we had dropped two in a row for the first time all year. We hadn’t done that and that was a goal of ours. We got a serious group that cares about basketball, and they wanted to get this tough win on the road today.”
The BlackJacks started the game hot, building up a 24-12 lead early thanks largely to Isaih Moore, who had 17 points in the opening period. Calgary would call a timeout which allowed them to get back into the game and cut the lead down to four by the end of the quarter. The teams would remain close throughout the second quarter, until a 20-2 Calgary run separated them for the rest of the game.
“I thought they turned their defense up a little bit,” Ottawa head coach Dave DeAveiro said of the adjustments his opposition made. “They’re a tough defensive team. That’s probably the best defensive team we’re going to see in terms of athleticism and denying the ball and jumping the gaps. It’s a really tough team to play against and they’re trying to speed you up. I think we played into their game a little bit where they sped us up and we turned it over and they got easy buckets because of it.”
Moore led the way with a game and CEBL-career high 32 points, as well as 14 rebounds. Javonte Smart had 25 points – including 23 in the second half – to go with six rebounds and five assists. Tyrell Tate added 16 points, while Zane Waterman added nine points before fouling out despite only having played 12 minutes.
Despite facing double-digit deficits for the majority of the second half, Ottawa never made things easy for the road team and looked to stay in the game. Unfortunately for the home squad, every attempt they tried at a comeback was met by an even stronger answer by the Surge.
Brown played a large role on that end, with his infectious energy seemingly propelling his team mates every basket he made.
“Passion is probably the biggest thing in my life,” Brown said of his playstyle. “Every time I step on the court, it’s just 100-percent full aggression, passionate, just genuine love for the game. It takes up probably 70-percent of my life.”
“We have a lot of great pieces on our team,” he added. “(Miller-Moore), Jameer, Evan, Gabe (Osabuohien)… people coming off the bench. We have a lot of really good players, so we’re just focusing on how we can take that talent and bring it together, make it one.”
“Our confidence level goes into our trust, our comradery for our teammates. Like I said, we have so many good pieces. We have to figure out how we can mesh that all together. Once we start to figure that out, our confidence goes along with that.”
The win snapped Calgary’s first losing streak of the season at two and keeps them in contention for the top spot in the West and a bye into the Conference Semifinals. Conversely, the loss snapped Ottawa’s win streak at two while they try to make a push of their own for a playoff bye.
“Our goal from day one has been to win a championship,” Canales said. “That’s our goal; that’s our tunnel vision. We know it’s a great, competitive league and every night feels like a playoff game, but our goal has never wavered and never changed – it’s to win a championship.”
Box Score
https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600656
Up Next
The Calgary Surge wrap up their three-game road trip against the Montreal Alliance on August 4. The Ottawa BlackJacks take a trip of their own to Quebec for the first game of a home-and-home series against the Montreal Alliance on August 6.
Next CEBL Action
The Scarborough Shooting Stars continue to fight for the second seed in the East when they host the conference leading Niagara River Lions on August 3, streaming live CEBL+ and TSN+. For the full 2025 CEBL schedule and up-to-date results, please visit
cebl.ca/games.
Interact with us on social media:
Instagram: ottawablackjacks
Facebook: OttawaBlackJacks
TikTok:
ottawablackjacks