Niagara goes undefeated at home, caps off regular season with win over Ottawa
The Niagara River Lions (14-6) closed out their 2024 CEBL regular season schedule with a 109-97 win over the Ottawa BlackJacks (8-11) Saturday night at Meridian Centre.
It was fitting that tonight marked Fan Appreciation Night in Niagara. The River Lions finished with a perfect 10-0 record in front of their home crowd this year, the first CEBL team to accomplish this feat in a full regular season.
“I think it’s an energy thing … our fans make it a great arena to play in,” said River Lions Head Coach Victor Raso. “We’re a good team and when we play really hard (which is easy to do with a crowd like this), we have success.”
Niagara finished atop the CEBL Eastern Conference and will look to translate this regular season success into the postseason when they host the East semifinal Aug. 4.
“We’ve got one more home game which we’ve earned and we’ve got to remain perfect at home,” said Raso.
The River Lions had five players finish in double figures tonight, including Jahvon Blair who poured in a game-high 23 points. The Brampton, Ont. native returned to the lineup tonight after missing Niagara’s last matchup due to the birth of his child.
Blair has now recorded 20-point performances in five of his last seven games played.
Other key contributors to Niagara’s offence were Khalil Ahmad who scored 22 points, including his 1,000th career CEBL point and the Elam Ending winning alley-oop, while Omari Moore (10 points, nine assists), Nathan Cayo (17 points, nine rebounds) and Elijah Lufile (16 points, nine rebounds) each finished just shy of double-doubles.
“The players are buying into the plan we have,” said Raso. “We have guys that are good passers and they bought into the idea that we’ll play through certain guys at certain times.”
The previous matchup between Ottawa and Niagara last weekend in the Capital City was a high scoring affair, resulting in a 122-113 win for the BlackJacks. Ottawa’s 122 points in that contest marked a single game franchise record.
Both teams began this contest exactly where they left off last Saturday. Niagara and Ottawa traded baskets in a back-and-forth game consisting of seven lead changes in the first quarter. The River Lions led 27-26 after the opening frame and held a 56-52 advantage at half time.
Ottawa’s Shamar Givance opened the third quarter with two three-pointers, helping the BlackJacks take back the lead. The River Lions responded however, going on a 21-6 run to extend their lead to its largest of the game, 77-64, with 3:39 remaining in the frame.
Lufile sparked this run for Niagara, scoring nine points in that span. His run was highlighted by a steal against older brother, BlackJack Meshack Lufile, which led to an emphatic fast break dunk for Elijah.
The Milton, Ont. native was a force down low, helping Niagara outscore Ottawa 62-40 (+22) in the paint.
Three-point shooting kept the BlackJacks within reach for most of the game as Ottawa shot 52 percent (13-25) from beyond the arc. Tyrrel Tate made a game-high five three-point field goals and finished with a team-best 22 points (8-12 FG, 5-7 3PT, 1-1 FT).
What’s next?
The BlackJacks will return to Ottawa and finish their regular season schedule Monday night against the visiting Brampton Honey Badgers. Ottawa will then travel to Scarborough on Friday to begin the 2024 postseason with a play-in date against the defending CEBL champion Shooting Stars.
Niagara will now await the winner of the CEBL Eastern Conference Play-In game. The River Lions will host the Eastern Conference Semifinal on Aug. 4 at the Meridian Centre.
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About the CEBL
A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 10 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN, TSN+, RDS, Game+, Next Level Sports & Entertainment and Courtside1891. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.