The Hamilton Honey Badgers (10-9) and Niagara River Lions (14-5) conclude their inaugural CEBL regular season at FirstOntario Centre on Wednesday night with the River Lions looking to clinch top spot in the standings.
Tipoff is 7 p.m. Eastern. (Tickets available at TicketMaster. Watch via CEBL TV or the CBC Gem App ).
Niagara owns a one-game lead over Edmonton heading into the final game before CEBL Championship Weekend. A win for the River Lions in Hamilton or a loss by the Stingers in Fraser Valley on Thursday and the standings will finish the same as they look today: Niagara in first place; Edmonton in second; Saskatchewan in third; and Hamilton in fourth. That would mean Wednesday’s game between the Honey Badgers and River Lions might serve as a preview for one of the league’s postseason semifinal matches.
However, should Hamilton win its third straight game in its home finale on Wednesday, and the Stingers defeat the Bandits in Abbotsford, then Niagara would head to the playoffs in second place. Edmonton would finish tied with the River Lions with a 14-6 record, but they own the season series against Niagara, 3-1, and would therefore claim the top seed.
The River Lions and Honey Badgers have not played since June 26 – the longest stretch against opponents at this point of the season.
The key to the regular season finale based on history, is the first 10 minutes. In the two wins for Niagara against Hamilton, the River Lions outscored the Honey Badgers by an average of 14 points in the opening frame. During the lone Hamilton victory, the score was tied with Niagara after the first quarter.
The River Lions have been led by Ryan Anderson and Guillaume Payen-Boucard throughout the series against Hamilton. Anderson has averaged 18.3 points and 5.3 rebounds, while Payen-Boucard is averaging a double-double of 18.7 points and 10.0 points during the three games. The tandem has shot .548 (34-62) from the field while the rest of the River Lions have only been shooting at a .436 (72-165) pace from the floor against Hamilton.
The Honey Badgers have left 33 points on the free-throw line (58-91) against Niagara this season, despite forward Demetrius Denzel-Dyson shooting a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe. Hamilton’s leading scorer, guard Ricky Tarrant Jr. (18.7 ppg), has been a focus of the River Lions defence. Niagara is the only team that Tarrant Jr. has been unable to score 20 points against all season.
These two teams love to score and represent the top two offences in the league. Niagara has made 35 more triples than any other team in the CEBL, while Hamilton has averaged 51.3 points in the paint over the past month. Wednesday night should be a great appetizer for a potential playoffs main course just 10 days away.
June 8 at Niagara: Niagara 107, Hamilton 96
Leading scorers: Hamilton (J. Edwards, 19), Niagara (Payen-Boucard, 24)
Leading rebounders: Hamilton (Ejim, 9), Niagara (Payen-Boucard, 13)
June 12 at Hamilton: Hamilton 107, Niagara 95
Leading scorers: Hamilton (Denzel-Dyson, 24), Niagara (Pinson, 20)
Leading rebounders: Hamilton (Fraser, 17), Niagara (Bell-Haynes/Pinson, 8)
June 26 at Niagara: Niagara 108, Hamilton 96
Leading scorers: Hamilton (Denzel-Dyson, 20), Niagara (Anderson, 25)
Leading rebounders: Hamilton (Agada, 12), Niagara (Payen-Boucard, 11)