Mitch Creek’s 27-point performance helped the Vancouver Bandits stave off a late Calgary Surge rally on Friday for an 89-87 win at Verdun Auditorium.
The import forward set a franchise single-game playoff scoring record with the game-high performance as he helped the Bandits advance to their second-ever Championship Final appearance.
“There’s no way we can play without Zach,” Bandits head coach Kyle Julius said post-game reflecting on the victory. “We knew it was going to be a very hard-nosed basketball game,” Davis Jr. said following the loss. “The ball didn’t land the way we wanted to, we had multiple chances to win the game … the basketballs didn’t let the ball bounce our way.”
What ended up splitting the difference was a quarter-ending 9-2 run by the Surge courtesy of timely shooting from distance. Calgary knocked down back-to-back-to-back triples -- capped off by Justin Jackson hitting one from the right corner at the buzzer – to lead 23-20 after the first frame. After struggling to score against the Surge’s interior defence in the opening quarter, Vancouver found success in the second. By halftime, the Bandits had shot 52 per cent from inside the arc for 20 points in the paint .
The Surge hit 12 threes through the first 30 minutes of play on a 44 per cent clip, once again proving how three-point shooting can be the great equalizer.
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