The Canadian Elite Basketball League has reverted to a single-game championship format following the cancellation of the best-of-three final between the Winnipeg Sea Bears and the Brampton Honey Badgers due to unsafe playing conditions caused by court condensation. The decision was made swiftly after the game was halted, with Brampton initially taking a 6-0 lead before play was stopped when Sea Bears’ Xavier Moon slipped on the court.
The one-game final is scheduled to take place in Winnipeg on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on CBC-TV, CBCSports.ca, and CBC Gem. This change in format was deemed the fairest and most practical approach to determine a champion, bringing the Finals back to the format used from 2019 to 2025.
Brampton had previously won both encounters against Winnipeg this season. The Honey Badgers, who secured a CEBL title in 2022 while based in Hamilton, are now one win away from clinching their first championship. Meanwhile, the Sea Bears advanced to the final by defeating the Saskatoon Mamba and the top-ranked Vancouver Bandits in the playoffs, despite being considered underdogs.
In the Eastern Conference, Brampton finished second with an 11-13 record and overcame the Ottawa BlackJacks and the Niagara River Lions to secure their spot in the championship series. Notably, the Sea Bears and the Honey Badgers are owned by siblings, with David Asper leading the Sea Bears and Leonard Asper heading the Honey Badgers.
