CEBL reverts to 1-game final after cancellation of Winnipeg-Brampton series opener

Well, it's back to a single-game championship in the Canadian Elite Basketball League.

The decision was made Wednesday evening by the league, in consultation with the Winnipeg Sea Bears and hometown Brampton Honey Badgers, less than one hour after their best-of-three final began at CAA Centre, was quickly halted and subsequently cancelled.

The game was called off "due to condensation on the court, which left the playing surface unsafe for competition. … The safety of our players, officials and fans is the league's first priority," read a CEBL statement on X.

Brampton jumped out to a 6-0 lead, only to watch Winnipeg draw even. Shortly thereafter, the Sea Bears' Xavier Moon, a three-time CEBL MVP, slipped in the middle of the court while defending and play was stopped with 8:14 remaining in the 10-minute first quarter.

The one-game final will be played Saturday in Winnipeg at 3:30 p.m. ET — available at CBC-TV, CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem — after it was supposed to be the first multi-game championship series in league history.

"With the best-of-three series unable to be completed within the scheduled window, a one-game championship was determined to be the fairest and most practical path to crowning a champion," the CEBL said.

Sea Bears advance to face Brampton Honey Badgers in CEBL Finals

"It also returns the Finals to the format used from 2019 through 2025."

Brampton took the first two meetings between the teams this season, prevailing 96-92 at home on May 25 and, most recently 88-86, on July 25 at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg.

Sea Bears book a spot in the CEBL Final defeating the Bandits

Honey Badgers won a CEBL title in 2022 when they were based in Hamilton. Winnipeg entered the post-season on a hope and a prayer, but