SASKATOON, SK, August 24, 2019 – The upstart Hamilton Honey Badgers proved exactly why they are a force to be reckoned with as they toppled the league-leading Niagara River Lions 104-103 to advance to the CEBL’s inaugural Championship Game tomorrow.
“We have to come out ready to play tomorrow, and ready to go, get the gold,” Honey Badgers Head Coach and General Manager Chantal Vallée said.
“The guys are going to go back, review some tapes – we’ll spend hours watching film and we’ll come up with a good game plan and then bring it tomorrow and get going,”
Player of the Game, Xavier Rathan-Mayes, recorded a game-high 28 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists in a near triple-double performance. The Honey Badgers will take on the host team, the Saskatchewan Rattlers, for the grand prize, on Sunday afternoon at SaskTel Centre.
“I can attribute it (the win) to the guys and the character on this team. The guys did a great job of welcoming me to the system and understanding what I do and just allowing me to be myself. We have big-time guys.
Denzel, Ricky and all those guys – they’re big time,” Rathan-Mayes said.
“Them and the coaching staff put me in a great position just to be successful. I just try to go out here every day
and play at a high level and I was able to do that tonight and we were able to come away with a big time win.”
After the tight Rattlers versus Stingers tilt that saw a defensive showcase go down to the wire, the River Lions and Honey Badgers came out firing on all cylinders. The largest lead of the opening quarter arrived when Honey Badgers forward Sampson Carter followed up an offensive rebound with a smooth two-point jumper that stretched Hamilton’s lead to 17-10. Niagara responded with a push of their own thanks to a three-point strike from Nem Mitrovic and a floater by Trae Bell-Haynes. Neither team held a lead larger than three-points throughout the rest of the first quarter as both teams entered the second quarter in a stalemate at 34-34.
An 8-2 run by Hamilton early in the second quarter was capped off by a Murphy Burnatowski three that gave the Honey Badgers their largest lead of the game. Niagara had the answer to Hamilton’s burst of energy, however, as the River Lions went on a 7-0 scoring spurt thanks to some great team basketball courtesy of the combined efforts of Guillaume Boucard and Mitrovic. Both teams remained nearly knotted even heading into half-time as Hamilton entered the break leading 55-54.
Once again, Hamilton looked to make its push early in the frame. Carter converted a nice give and go lay-up off the assist from Rathan-Mayes to give Hamilton the lead at 68-60. The game of runs continued as Niagara—never one to be outdone—had the answer for Hamilton’s outburst by closing out the quarter on a 15-7 run to take the lead. Alex Johnson showed his flair for the dramatic and hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to
send Niagara into the final frame ahead 75-74.
A scrappy third quarter set the stage for a wild finish. Lead changes were the norm on Saturday evening at SaskTel Centre, and neither club from Ontario was willing to budge with a Championship birth on the line. The largest lead for either team in the deciding quarter was four points. With 35 seconds left, Honey Badgers star Ricky Tarrant Jr. fouled out. With the game on the line, two missed free throws by Bell-Haynes and a one-for-
two showing at the free throw line by Yohanny Dalembert allowed Hamilton to escape the intense semi-final game with a victory.
Despite the loss, River Lions Head Coach and General Manager Victor Raso had nothing but positive things to
say about his group of players, who showcased throughout the season that they were just as much a
significant force on the court as they were in the community.”
“They’re a great group of guys – they really are. Top to bottom, we have stand-up citizens and great teammates. I think it’s exactly what embodies Canadian professional athletes and it’s awesome. You don’t get necessarily what you deserve, and those guys deserve the entire world. They’re fantastic people,” Raso said.
The Honey Badgers advance to take on the Saskatchewan Rattlers on their home turf at SaskTel Centre on Sunday afternoon. Tickets for Sunday’s Championship Game at SaskTel Centre can be purchased here.
Tipoff is 4 p.m. CST (local time). Tickets are available at Ticketmaster. Fans can watch via CEBL TV or the CBC Gem App.