Wright-Foreman — who was leading the league in scoring with 28.5 points per game — got called up by the NBA’s New York Knicks.
Contents
Surge 80, Rattlers 63
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First, they lost Justin Wright-Foreman.
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Then they lost the game.
Down their top player, the Saskatchewan Rattlers dropped an 80-63 decision to the Calgary Surge in Canadian Elite Basketball League action Sunday at SaskTel Centre.
Wright-Foreman — who was leading the league in scoring with 28.5 points per game — was called up by the NBA’s New York Knicks over the weekend for a workout before the upcoming NBA Summer League season.
His future status with the Rattlers, at this point, remains unclear.
“It was just a battle,” said Saskatchewan head coach Dean Demopoulos, whose team saw its record fall to 2-3 for the season after its second straight loss on home court.
“The whole game was an adjustment. Imagine your family, and the person who is absent has the most responsibility. What do you do? Adjustment? The whole thing is an adjustment, but I love the way these guys approached this. We had the proper game plan.”
Calgary improved to a league-leading 5-1 this season.
“That’s a good, physical ball club and I love the approach our guys took today,” added Demopoulos. “Love the way the coaches prepared them. I loved their effort. I loved their heart. I loved their energy.”
Even so, Saskatchewan saw an eight-point lead evaporate late in the first half as the Rattlers eventually let the game get away from them after losing control.
“We had fairly good control of that game, given the circumstances, until the cumulative physical-ness of the game,” said Demopoulos. “It was a good game. I don’t mind physical play. I really applaud our team and I give the other team a hell of a lot of credit. They were the better team today for the amount of time we competed.
“The fact that we had a little bit of a cushion there, I thought was extraordinary given the circumstances, again, and the climate in the way they play here.”
Despite a strong rebounding effort, the Rattlers couldn’t generate much offence against the stingy Surge defence.
Saskatchewan held a 54-35 advantage in the rebounding department, including a 27-7 edge on the glass in the offensive end while generating 28 second-chance points while Calgary mustered only seven.
“We just kept fighting,” said Rattlers captain Malik Benlevi, who led his team with 14 points and nine rebounds. “We’ve got guys who can go in there and get it.”
However, the Rattlers shot just 17 per cent from three-point range and 31 per cent overall while missing their top shooter, Wright-Foreman. Calgary racked up 24 fast-break points compared to only five for Saskatchewan.
Julian Roche added nine points and nine rebounds for the Rattlers, while Michael Nuga had 13 points and seven assists in the No. 1 point guard role but got into foul trouble early in the second half and eventually got fouled out.
“I saw a person step up and play as well as he could, given the circumstances,” Demopoulos said of Nuga.
Sean Miller-Moore had 20 points to lead Calgary, which had five players in double digits.
SNAKE BITES: Next up for the Rattlers are the Edmonton Stingers in Edmonton on Wednesday, followed by the Vancouver Bandits on Saturday before they head to Winnipeg to face the Sea Bears on June 23. “It’s always going to be a challenge for us,” said Demopoulos. “This whole league is a rough-and-tumble league.” Next home action for the Rattlers is June 25 against the Scarborough Shooting Stars.
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