Coming off their first loss of the Canadian Elite Basketball League season – a 98-86 setback in Saskatoon to the Rattlers on May 30 in a battle of unbeaten teams – Vancouver Bandits’ head coach and general manager Kyle Julius was curious to what his team’s response would be.
“We were all disappointed in (Saskatchewan). We didn’t play well, we were lethargic (and) I thought Sask played great, punched us in the mouth,” said Julius.
In their loss to the Rattlers, Bandits had arguably their worst offensive half of the season, shooting 30 per cent from the field and 25 per cent from deep.
“I wouldn’t say their defence made anything difficult, we just missed shots,” Nick Ward said post game. “We missed easy shots and sometimes we have days like that.”
On Saturday, June 1, playing at home, Bandits bounced back, dominating Calgary 100-74.
Vancouver was hosting the Surge at Langley Events Centre as the Bandits held their first-ever South Asian Heritage Game, wearing specially-themed jerseys.
Action began following a pre-game performance by singer-songwriter Sharry Mann.
Following a close first quarter – the Bandits led 28-25 after 10 minutes – Vancouver locked down defensively, holding the Surge to 49 points the rest of the way in a one-sided 100-74 victory to improve to 3-1.
Zach Copeland hit his first four 3-point attempts, scoring 16 in the first quarter alone, while finishing with 28. He was averaging 18.3 points per game entering the contest.
“We were very disappointed in how we came out last game. That was the biggest emphasis for this game: set the tone and bring the energy,” Copeland said. “I was just ready to go. I wanted to set the tone and was just locked in.”
Julius said the players shot the ball well.
“Offensively we had some good spacing and flow, but I feel we won the game defensively”Julius summed up.
Tazé Moore – who missed the team’s last game with illness – had a near triple double, finishing with 16 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. He also had three steals and a pair of blocked shots. Nick Ward added 18 points while Koby McEwen and James Karnik each had 11 with all five Bandits starters finishing in double figures.
Up next for the Bandits is a trip to Alberta where they face the Edmonton Stingers on Tuesday, June 4, before a rematch with the Surge, this time in Calgary on Friday, June 7.
Vancouver’s next home game at LEC is on Thursday, June 13 when the Bandits welcome the Winnipeg Sea Bears for a 7:30 p.m game.
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