Winnipeg Sea Bears vs Brampton Honey Badgers

Brampton started the brighter side. Sean East II, who led the Honey Badgers with 27 points and five assists, orchestrated the offence early, and the visitors held the lead through the opening quarter. But the momentum shifted decisively in the second period.

Jelani Watson-Gayle, who scored all 17 of his points in the first half, drilled back-to-back three-pointers that ignited the crowd and gave Winnipeg its first lead of the game. The Sea Bears carried a 46–42 advantage into the break and never trailed again.

Honey Badgers head coach Alex Cerda pinpointed the second quarter as the inflection point. "Self-inflicted wounds with the live-ball turnovers led out to runouts for them, easy transition points and kind of flipped the score," he told the CEBL.

Moon took over in the third quarter, scoring seven of Winnipeg's first nine points in the frame and 14 total as the lead ballooned to 73–60 by the end of 30 minutes.

Target Score Time arrived with Winnipeg leading 88–74. After Brampton scored six of the first eight points to cut the deficit to single digits, Moon responded with a layup and a three-pointer on back-to-back possessions, putting the Sea Bears one bucket from the title.

That final bucket came from Winnipeg native Simon Hildebrandt, who rose up and drilled a three-pointer to trigger the teal-and-white confetti storm. The two-time Developmental Player of the Year finished with 24 points and six rebounds.

"I'm so fortunate to just play in my hometown for an organization like this and have an opportunity to be on the floor in Target Score of the Finals," Hildebrandt said, per the CEBL. "Being put in the opportunities to be successful by my teammates and my coaches is just unbelievable."

Xavier Moon (WPG) — 29 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists. Finals MVP. The three-time CEBL champion became just the second player in league history with three titles, adding to the two he won with the Edmonton Stingers in 2020 and 2021.

Simon Hildebrandt (WPG) — 24 points, 6 rebounds. The hometown hero hit the championship-clinching three in Target Score Time.

Jelani Watson-Gayle (WPG) — 17 points (all in the first half). His back-to-back threes in Q2 flipped the game's momentum permanently.

Sean East II (BRM) — 27 points, 5 assists. The Honey Badgers' engine kept his team in the game but committed seven of Brampton's 19 turnovers.

Trentyn Flowers (BRM) — 20 points. Provided consistent scoring support.

Matthew Moncrieffe (BRM) — 7 points, 16 rebounds. Dominated the glass but couldn't overcome Brampton's turnover issues.

• Turnovers: Brampton 19, Winnipeg 9 — The defining stat. The 10-turnover gap translated directly into transition points for Winnipeg.
• Three-point shooting: Winnipeg 41%, Brampton 27% — Perimeter efficiency separated the teams, particularly Watson-Gayle's two triples that swung the first half.
• Attendance: 12,519 — A CEBL Finals record.
• Brampton entered having won both regular-season meetings in 2026 — That 2-0 regular-season sweep counted for nothing on championship day.

The Sea Bears complete a remarkable run that saw them overcome the loss of star forward Teddy Allen — who led the CEBL in scoring (27.8 ppg) and steals before an injury sidelined him on the eve of the playoffs. Moon, who himself appeared in only five regular-season games due to a FIBA clearance delay, stepped into the void and carried the team through playoff wins over the Saskatoon Mamba, the top-seeded Vancouver Bandits and the Honey Badgers.

"I'm just super happy for everybody that is out there celebrating today and that it came to fruition because the organization did definitely deserve a championship," first-year head coach Mike Raimbault said, per the CEBL.

For Brampton, the loss ends a roller-coaster season. The Honey Badgers started 7-1 before a 1-7 skid dropped them to .500, then barely squeezed into the playoffs at 11-13. They found their form in the Eastern Conference playoffs, eliminating the Ottawa BlackJacks and two-time defending champion Niagara River Lions, but could not finish the job in Winnipeg.

"We fought hard. We dealt with adversity. Not the outcome we wanted," East II said. "We turned the Brampton program around so we can be happy about that for sure."

A deserved championship for a franchise that built deliberately around proven winners. Moon's Finals MVP performance validated the front office's decision to import a three-time champion, and Hildebrandt's homegrown heroics provided the perfect narrative flourish. For Brampton, the 19 turnovers in a 14-point loss were the difference between a competitive final and a comfortable one for Winnipeg.