The Brampton Honey Badgers and the Winnipeg Sea Bears emerged victorious in their conference finals, securing spots in the Canadian Elite Basketball League championship series. Xavier Moon, a three-time CEBL MVP, led the Sea Bears to a 107-96 win over the Vancouver Bandits in the Western Conference Final, while the Honey Badgers defeated the Niagara River Lions 91-81 in the Eastern Conference Final.
This season marks a shift from the single-game format to a best-of-three series to determine the league champion. The first game between the Honey Badgers and Sea Bears is scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. Brampton, as the lower seed, will host Game 1 before the series moves to Winnipeg for Game 2 and Game 3 if necessary.
Moon’s standout performance, scoring 24 points, propelled the Sea Bears to their first-ever final. Simon Hildebrandt also contributed 24 points, and Isiah Osborne sealed the victory with a game-winning three-pointer.
In their respective victories, Moon and Hildebrandt each made four three-pointers, helping Winnipeg secure their second playoff win. Moon, aged 31, returned to the CEBL this season after a five-year absence.
The Honey Badgers’ Tyrese Hunter and Sean East II played crucial roles in their win, with East II scoring 22 points and Hunter hitting a game-winning three-pointer. Brampton now has the opportunity to join the select few teams that have won two CEBL championships.
With the championship series looming, basketball fans are eagerly anticipating the showdown between the Brampton Honey Badgers and the Winnipeg Sea Bears.