A new Battle of Alberta? Surge top Stingers in season opening victory

The Surge won their WinSport debut Saturday, defeating Edmonton 74-70. (Photo: Twitter@CalgarySurge)

The Calgary Surge era was inaugurated with a win Saturday, as the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) squad defeated the Edmonton Stingers 74-70.

Simu Shittu scored 17 points and added 14 rebounds in his CEBL debut for the Surge. Stef Smith added 16 points, Admon Gilder 15 and Sean Miller-Moore had 14 for the local heroes.

Adika Peter-McNeilly and Martynas Varnas each scored 14 for Edmonton.

The Surge led throughout, building an 11 point lead in the third. After falling behind by nine in the fourth quarter, the Stingers crawled back to make it a one-possession game before Smith was fouled on a rebound, where he provided the margin of victory.

Social media was full of commentary from Calgary basketballers, including Mayor Jyoti Gondek, who said, "Incredible inaugural game for @CalgarySurge with 74-70 win over Edmonton Stingers!

"Calgary turned out in a big way," she added. "This is community building at its finest."

Next up for the Surge is a Sunday return match with the Stingers in Edmonton. The game starts at 4 p.m.