Whistle-to-whistle win keeps Niagara River Lions undefeated at home

River Lions don’t look back after jumping out to 6-0 lead in a rematch of the CEBL semifinal

There were too many men for the Scarborough Shooting Stars to shut down on defence Thursday night when they visited the Niagara River Lions in a rematch of last year’s Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) semifinal.

Five River Lions, two of them substitutes coming into the lineup off the bench, scored in double digits before an announced crowd of 2,564 at Meridian Centre in St. Catharines as Niagara remained undefeated at home and improved to 2-3 in the spring-summer pro league’s Eastern Conference with a 99-81 victory.

Edward Ekiyor’s 17 points off the bench tied reigning CEBL player of the year Khalil Ahmad for the team lead in scoring in the whistle-towhistle victory. Ekiyor, who scored in double digits for the third game in a row, just missed recording a double-double, ending the contest with nine rebounds.

Niagara starters Ejiofor (EJ) Onu and Jahvon Henry-blair each scored 14 points and Patrick Whelan added 13 off the bench. Henryblair led the team in rebounds as the River Lions outrebounded Scarborough 43-34.

“We have a really deep team. We have lots of guys who can play, and I just try to bring whatever I can,” Ekiyor said. “Sometimes, it’s going to be defence; sometimes, it’s going to be scoring. The main thing comes from hustling and bringing that energy on the defensive end.”

The River Lions defended their den in convincing fashion against the Shooting Stars. They never trailed nor were tied after jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter. Niagara took a 49-36 lead into halftime and closed out the game with a 31-19 final quarter after being outscored 26-19 in the third frame.

On Thursday, the River Lions, not Scarborough, were the stars when it came to shooting. They made 61 per cent of their field-goal attempts, compared to 48 per cent for the visitors, and excelled from beyond the three-point arc, going 13-for-27, for a 48 per cent success rate. Scarborough finished the game 6for-26, or 23 per cent.

It was the second in a four-game homestand for a River Lions team that started the 20-contest regular season with three road safaris. They host the Vancouver Bandits in a 7 p.m. tipoff Saturday and entertain the Montreal Alliance on Tuesday night hoping to avenge an 8469 loss at Montreal in the season opener.

In 2022, second-seeded Niagara opened Championship Weekend in Ottawa with a 93-81 loss to thirdseeded Scarborough. The then Hamilton Honey Badgers, the No. 1 seed at the four-team tournament, defeated the Shooting Stars 90-88 for the title.

Jump Balls CEBL Clash, the league’s inaugural all-star game featuring the best players from the East and West divisions, will be played Saturday, Aug. 26, at Videotron Centre in Quebec City ... Championship Weekend this season is taking place Aug. 11-13 at Langley Events Centre in Langley, B.C., home of the Vancouver Bandits.