Having already clinched a playoff berth to CEBL Championship Weekend , the league-leading Niagara River Lions (11-3) look to stay perfect at Meridian Centre on Saturday night when they play host to a renewed Fraser Valley Bandits (4-10).
(Tickets available at TicketMaster. Watch via CEBL TV or the CBC Gem App ).
Winners of four of its last five games, the Bandits travel east to Niagara after a convincing 98-75 win over Hamilton on Thursday at Abbotsford Centre. Fraser Valley held the Honey Badgers to its lowest offensive output of the season, after defeating Hamilton on their home court a week earlier by 18 points. Bandits Head Coach and General Manager Peter Guarasci has seen his team transform from starting the season 0-9 to now being a feared opponent on the court.
Niagara has been a joy to watch at home. The River Lions are averaging 104.9 points while shooting .393 from beyond the arc with an average of 13.6 triples made per contest. Their success comes partly from bench boss Victor Raso and his ability to get his players to embrace the FIBA style of basketball. Niagara plays very quickly, moves the ball effortlessly (they average 26.0 assists per home game), and don’t care who scores. Some teams live or die by the long ball. The River Lions just live. More than 45 per cent of their field goals this season have been attempted from beyond the arc, accounting for 38 per cent of their total points.
When these two teams met last on July 11, it took a record 40-point fourth quarter by Niagara to claim the 104-94 victory at Abbotsford Centre. Guillaume Payen-Boucard was magnificent for the River Lions, recording game highs of 25 points and 10 rebounds.
If the Bandits want to be the first team this year to knock off Niagara at home, they must keep up with the defensive intensity they have exhibited during this winning stretch but also not let the River Lions score at-will in the transition game. Fraser Valley must try and slow the game to a half-court style in order to have any chance of erasing Niagara’s perfection at Meridian Centre.
Will the Bandits’ last trip to Ontario in this inaugural CEBL season be a memorable one?
May 31, 2019 at Niagara: Niagara 108, Fraser Valley 87
Leading scorers: Fraser Valley (T. Tate, 17), Niagara (N. Mitrovic, 20)
Leading rebounders: Fraser Valley (T. Tate, 11), Niagara (G. Payen-Boucard, 7)
July 11, 2019 at Abbotsford: Niagara 104, Fraser Valley 94
Leading scorers: Fraser Valley (M. Klassen, 23), Niagara (G. Payen-Boucard, 25)
Leading rebounders: Fraser Valley (L. Kendall, 7), Niagara (G. Payen-Boucard, 10)
August 8, 2019 at Abbotsford: Niagara vs. Fraser Valley