A passionate home crowd pushed the Calgary Surge to what was arguably its most dramatic win thus far in the season.

The Surge overcame a 15-point fourth quarter lead to defeat the Brampton Honey Badgers, 90-85, off the back of an Osayi Osifo game-winner. 

“I kind of just spaced out,” Osifo said, discussing his shot. 

“(Rugzy Miller-Moore) took the shot, thought he got fouled and I was just there to hunt the rebound. When I got it, I thought of kicking it out, but I saw the rim and I just tossed it up there.” 

After sinking his shot and winning the game, Osifo was swarmed and tackled by his teammates. 

During their late-game comeback, the Surge made six-straight free throws, including a Jameer Nelson Jr. shot to give his team the lead for the first time in the second half. The team’s clutch shot-making was a stark contrast from the 15/35 rate that the team had previously shot from the line. 

Nelson Jr. said that as a point guard, free throw misses were “embarrassing” and that he’ll be in the gym practicing before Sunday’s game in Vancouver.  

Despite his woes at the stripe, Nelson Jr. led the game with 24 points.  

With a total of 71 attempted free throws, intensity ran thick in the Winsport Event Centre. 

Four Honey Badgers starters and five players total fouled out in the second half, with Brampton’s Quinndary Weatherspoon being ejected from the building.  

Surge head coach Kaleb Canales said that despite the physicality, his players had “championship poise” and maintained a level head during the comeback and target time.  

“It’s an emotional game, it’s a competitive game, it’s a high-level game. There’s great players on both teams, so basketball is going to happen,” he said 

“Competition is going to happen, so we just need to make sure that we’re locked into the next play and our next play mindset was critical tonight.” 

Canales said that despite the Surge’s current three-game win streak, the team has “tunnel vision.” 

“We have tunnel vision to the next practice, to the next game. That’s the only way we can attack it. We know it’s a long season and a short season at the same time,” he said. 

“We know every night it’s going to be a fight and we’ve got to be ready for the next fight, which is on Sunday.” 

Home crowd behind the team

Nelson Jr. said that during his team’s comeback, he told his teammates that getting the crowd into the game was vital. 

Canales echoed his starting point guard’s sentiment, stating that the Surge faithful have been “awesome” during their two-game homestand. 

“Selfishly, I wish we played every game here, but you can only play half. They’ve been great,” he said. 

“You guys saw it, I think it’s a perfect example, we fed off from tonight, we really needed them tonight. We needed their energy.”  

Canales said that during the team’s first five games, he’s mainly noticed the players’ chemistry. 

“I really feel like every player that plays is a two-way player, I think their impact is felt on both ends of the floor and sometimes it shows in the numbers and sometimes it doesn’t,” he said. 

“But just the connection, the communication, the togetherness, obviously always positive signs we can continue to keep improving and getting better,” he said. 

Calgary’s 4-1 start to their season has them in second in the Western conference, trailing only their next opponent, the Vancouver Bandits. 

The Surge return to the court Sunday at 6 p.m.