HONEY BADGERS WEEKLY RECAP: SEASON HITS HALFWAY, BUT WOES GET LARGER

The Brampton Honey Badgers have entered the halfway mark of their 2026 season with a winning record (7-5) for the first time since 2022, but not in the way they wanted.

After the Honey Badgers were derailed at the CAA Centre by the Niagara River Lions on Monday, June 15, there was no time to sit with the disappointing 101-84 result. The next day, the team was off to the West Coast for a pair of inter-conference games against the Calgary Surge and Vancouver Bandits.

It was a quick turnaround to say the least, as Brampton were on the court at the WinSport Event Centre in Calgary Wednesday night, ready to tackle a Surge team that had added four new players into the lineup ahead of the contest. It was a frustrating first half, as the Honey Badgers couldn’t manage to pull in front and Calgary stayed square-even with them, ultimately taking a 45-44 lead into halftime.

Coming out of the break, the third quarter struggles continued for Brampton, conceding 34 points to the Surge, despite Cameron Tyson contributing 11 by himself in the 10-minute frame. And with an 8-2 run to begin the fourth, before they knew it, the Honey Badgers had let the deficit slip to 14. This gave the team a large hole to try and dig themselves out of, but not an impossible task.

After cutting the lead in half, Brampton miraculously turned the game around, as pivotal free throws from Landers Nolley II and Keon Ambrose-Hylton, along with a crucial corner three-point shot from Josh Omojafo, led a 9-2 run to tie the game at 93 with the target score set at 100.

From there, the tension in the building rose higher every single possession. But it was Tyson who rose to the occasion, making three free throws and hitting a clutch three-point bomb to stay even with the newest Surge on the court, Armani Chaney, who caught fire himself by nailing two triples. And after a timeout called by Calgary, the score was 99-99. Next basket wins.

Unfortunately for the Honey Badgers, they couldn’t finish the job, as none other than Chaney was able to maneuver through the defense and get himself open for the game-winning three, which he made in dramatic fashion. With that, the Honey Badgers were the first team to fall to the Surge this season, as Calgary finally got in the win column after an 0-10 start.

After the heartbreaking loss, it was time to pack up and head out again for Brampton, as they were set for a rematch with the Vancouver Bandits on Saturday, who previously stunned them in Brampton back in May to hand the Honey Badgers their first loss of the summer. And to add some extra wood into the firepit, leading scorer and playmaker Sean East II made the trip to Vancouver, meeting back up with the team and returning to the CEBL court after his NBA workout in Denver.

But even with the return of East II, it wasn’t enough to turn the tide against a very difficult team in the Bandits, who rallied behind the arrival of reigning league MVP Mitch Creek, who suited up for two games at the Langley Events Centre before heading to play on the Australian National team. Creek ended up filling the stat sheet completely with 26 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and five steals to get Player of the Game honours.

Things fell off the rails drastically for Brampton in the fourth quarter, as Vancouver went on a 19-3 run and built a 29-point lead, seemingly putting the game far out of reach. And despite East II taking things into his own hands by scoring eight consecutive points, the Bandits swiftly closed things out and secured the 102-81 victory, holding the Honey Badgers to their lowest point total of the season.

The defeat also marked just the second time this season that no Honey Badger reached the 20-point threshold, as East II and Nolley II led the pack with 18 points apiece. The team also gave up 19 turnovers for the second straight game, as the Honey Badgers end their West Coast visit falling deeper into the losing slump and now just two games out of fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings, heading into the halfway point of the season.

Brampton now have the rest of this week to reset and regroup before their biggest matchup of the season so far this Saturday, June 27, when they head to the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre to try and shut down the best team in the CEBL and their Eastern Conference rivals, the Scarborough Shooting Stars. Tipoff is slated for 7:00 PM and you can catch all the action live for free on CBC Gem, the CBC Sports YouTube page, and CEBL+.

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About the Brampton Honey Badgers

One of the original franchises of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the 2022 CEBL Champion Brampton Honey Badgers proudly call the CAA Centre home. The Brampton front office and basketball operations department bring NBA, NBA G League, national team, NCAA and major international pro league experience to the franchise. With a vision of promoting Brampton grassroots basketball and local businesses through community and corporate engagement, the Honey Badgers will leverage the explosion of basketball as a vehicle for innovation and change. For more information visit honeybadgers.ca.

About the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) 

The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) is Canada’s professional basketball league, featuring 10 member clubs across six provinces. Powered by elite talent, a fast-paced game format, and deep community connections, the CEBL delivers high-level basketball and unforgettable summer experiences for fans nationwide.

The league boasts the youngest fan base in Canadian professional sport, half under age 34, and one of the fastest-growing audiences in the country, now reaching nearly 4.1 million Canadians. This momentum reflects the CEBL’s ability to deliver dynamic, thrilling gameplay while connecting deeply with a new generation of fans and expanding basketball’s cultural footprint across Canada.

The CEBL is where elite performance meets homegrown talent. In 2025, 17 players with NBA experience hit the court, while nearly 70% of the league’s roster was Canadian, the highest concentration of domestic talent in any professional sports league in the country. Running from May through August, the CEBL’s season is a showcase of top basketball talent and a summer hub for fast-paced, high-energy fan excitement.

Media Contact:
Elias Eldridge - Account Executive & Communications Specialist

Brampton Honey Badgers

eeldridge@honeybadgers.ca