The Winnipeg Sea Bears are really making it seem like highway robbery the way they have won their first three games in franchise history. The Sea Bears were in Vancouver for a rematch with the Bandits, for their fourth game of the season and third of their current road trip. After a decent first quarter, using the fast break, quick layups and threes, Winnipeg was able to go on a huge run and build a large lead. There were a couple culprits for this run including, Teddy Allen, E.J. Anosike, and Jelani Watson-Gayle. There was pushback from the Bandits all throughout the second half, but the Sea Bears kept them relatively at bay for most of it. Then came Elam Time. It started out well with a deep A.J. Hess three, but then came the threes from the Bandits. A couple turnovers and missed shots, combined with those threes kept it close. After an E.J. Anosike three, it was 105-95, with the Sea Bears one point off the Target Score of 106. Then more turnovers, missed shots, and Bandit threes had the Sea Bears lead down to two. A foul on Duane Notice was supposed to send Teddy Allen to the line, but because he was subbed out due to injury, Watson-Gayle stepped up to take the free throws. He promptly swished the first ending the game right there. In all four of their games, Winnipeg has struggled to find ways around cold shooting and turnover problems come Elam Time. I will speak more on it later, but here are my three important keys to this game.

In The Fast Lane

One of the most positive outcomes from this game is how the transition game looked for the Sea Bears. The entire reason for their run in the second quarter was fast break or secondary break buckets. Easy layups from Allen, early post-ups from Anosike, and threes from Watson-Gayle led this speedy barrage that ballooned the lead. This was a positive sign to see, as we had become accustomed to the slower pace that Winnipeg has wanted to play with. This change of pace was beneficial for them, and sped up Vancouver, which they weren’t prepared for. The more this team can diversify their game plans, the more lethal they can be.

Help From The Role Players

This team has to be considered one of the deepest teams in the CEBL. Once again the bench unit, combined with a couple of the roleplaying starters made an impact on this game. As it has become the norm, Watson-Gayle contributed, as well as a little from Hess. But there were two other players that put there mark on this game. Glen Yang started to finally get comfortable in the second half, and the most surprising being Tyler Sagl hitting three threes. The Sea Bears won the bench battle again in this one, this time 38-19. As I mentioned in my last game recap, this has to feel very positive for coach Mike Taylor seeing almost any player he puts in play well. If this team continues to have positive effects from their bench, players continue to have big performances, it will be hard for other teams to stop them.

Elam Time Woes

This is the fourth straight game that the Sea Bears have struggled to reach the Target Score. Somehow they are 3-1. With that not making much sense, lets try and dissect what happened in this game. It was a combination of turnovers and empty trips from Winnipeg, and when Vancouver was scoring, they were threes. This combination can erase a lead quite quickly, and it is exactly what happened here. I will mention that the offence ran from coach Taylor in Elam Time was better in this game, but the shot selection was still not great. The score was 105-95, and the Sea Bears kept wanting to win the game on a three. Teams want you to force threes up in Elam Time, because it gives them a better chance to comeback. Winnipeg needs to get away from being steered in that direction, and try and score in different ways. The only facets in which they reached the Target Score in this game was two threes and some free throws. I understand that they are winning, but it is not sustainable. There were multiple opportunities for them to attack the hoop and get a layup, or at least more free throws. We have seen their struggles to reach the Target Score through all four games, but so far only one loss. At some point it is going to burn them, and it will lead to more losses if not fixed.

With the three keys out of the way, let’s now take a look at the individual performances from this game.

Michael Okafor

Another solid game from Okafor, even with some contributions on offence. No need to talk about his defense in this game, which was good as advertised. We did get more offence from him in this game, and he looked more aggressive. Still has not found his touch from outside, but if he continues to attack the hoop, it should come around.

Teddy Allen

Another good performance from Allen. Nothing too flashy and still was not too efficient, especially from outside. He was much better when attacking the hoop, and not settling for outside jumpers. He put up another 25 shots in this game, and we may just have to conceded the fact that most nights he will put up the same number of points as shots taken. I hope he can steady the ship a little, and be slightly more efficient than 35% from the field he is currently at. It does also help that he pulled down 15 rebounds and six assists.

Glen Yang

This was the sort of performance I was hoping from Yang coming into the season. He looked much better in the second half, and seemed much more comfortable. He put up 11 points, and also had six assists. A very good outing that I hope he builds on. The Sea Bears need him to be more aggressive, be more of a threat to help out Allen and Anosike.

E.J. Anosike

Anosike is so consistent. This might have been his best overall offensive performance. He is a fantastic second option next to Allen, and he does it so well. You can always count on him putting up solid scoring numbers. He needs to keep this up because I think without him, Winnipeg sinks more than swims in games.

Chad Posthumus

Definition of steady. This guy never fails to put up the exact same stat lines game after game. Six points in this one, combined with eight rebounds. Cannot ask much more than that from Posthumus. He also stayed out of foul trouble in this one, which is fantastic.

Jelani Watson-Gayle

This is my 6th Man of The Year candidate so far. Watson-Gayle played a pivotal role once again in this game, scoring inside and outside the arc. The Sea Bears need this play to continue, as he is giving valuable minutes off the bench, and also gives a different look than Yang when he comes in. The best scenario can be if both are firing on all cylinders. Watson-Gayle is also turning into one of my favourite players on this team.

A.J. Hess

Hess is beginning to infuriate me. He has started to hit from the outside, but is still shooting a large volume. His percentages are not pretty, and I am starting to wonder if he will get consistent at some point this season. I get it is still early, but a shooters season can normally be determined after a couple of games. The best case scenario is he has a better shot selection and gets back on track.

Simon Hildebrandt

This game could be considered Hildebrandt’s worst game as a professional. He did hit two important free throws in Elam Time, but no field goals. All five of his points came from the free throw line. He only pulled down three rebounds and also fouled out. He has been solid in the first four games, and I hope this was just a blip in form.

Stephane Ingo

I am not sure what to make from Ingo’s performance in this one. On one hand, he had four fouls, did not grab a rebound and only scored once. But he also had a steal and a block, which are decent positives. He had such a great game against Scarborough, but just couldn’t follow it up. This is his first professional season, so it may be rocky to begin with, and it sort of has been. His rim protection has been good, so I hope that continues.

Tyler Sagl

After looking confident and showing signs of good play in Brampton, Sagl had what could be described as a breakout performance. He did exactly what he was drafted to do. To shoot and hit threes. He took three of them in this game, and hit each one of them. The last one got coach Taylor fired up especially, which made it look like he was very happy with Sagl’s performance. It would be hard for me to see him come out of the 10 man active roster once Winnipeg comes back home from the four game road trip. To my knowledge, Justus Alleyn did not travel with the team after playing in the inaugural game at home. Sagl has looked good enough to be the tenth man on this roster and not be pulled yet. With the way that coach Taylor was excited for Sagl’s third three, I would also assume he does not want him out of the lineup just yet.

Final Thoughts

While this can still be seen as a very good game from the Sea Bears, I am still quite concerned about Elam Time. With a matchup tonight against the Saskatchewan Rattlers for their fourth game of the road trip and fifth game overall, they have their hands full. The Rattlers like to shoot a lot of threes, and Justin Wright-Foreman has looked like the best guard in the league. My hope is that Michael Okafor can contain him, and keep the rest of the Rattler shooters in check. If this team goes 4-1 in their first season, be prepared for a enthusiastic quarter season check in, as well as a player spotlight.