It was record-setting attendance-wise for the Calgary Surge season-opener, but there’s work left to do on the court after the team was dunked by their northern rivals the Edmonton Stingers 97-79.
To start their second season, the Calgary Surge set the Canadian Elite Basketball League attendance record with a crowd of 12,327 at the Scotiabank Saddledome, in their Surge 2 the Dome event.
The former record was 10,580, set by the Winnipeg Sea Bears in 2023.
The Surge found themselves down 8-2 early in the first quarter before scrapping back to 21-18 after the end of the first 12 minutes of play. That’s when the Stingers started to pull away, extending their lead to 13 at the half, 49-36. Edmonton was helped by 10 second-quarter turnovers committed by the Surge.
Forward Justin Lewis paced the Surge with a team-leading 16 points and eight rebounds. Sean Miller-Moore, the 2023 Surge standout at guard, potted 15, along with seven rebounds. Miller-Moore also had a game-high eight turnovers.
Overall, the Surge shot 46 per cent from the field compared with 54 per cent by the Stingers. The Surge nabbed 38 rebounds compared with the Stingers 37, though the visitors scored 60 points in the paint, compared with 34 from the Surge.
“Next steps are getting back to work and finding solutions,” said Surge head coach Tyrell Vernon.
“Them being able to get down to the paint, straight line drives … that’s understandable it’s because it’s a bunch of new guys together, so we’ll make the adjustments.”
Photos from the 2024 Calgary Surge season opener
