Nighthawks Face River Lions in Quarterfinals In Guelph
The Guelph Nighthawks take on the Niagara River Lions in the CEBL quarterfinals on Aug. 6 at 7 pm ET for a chance to book a spot in the CEBL Championship Weekend semi-finals.
The game can be watched live on CEBL+, CBC Gem, CBC Sports and NXT Level Sports in the U.S.
The second-seeded River Lions are the home team but are playing the game in the Sleeman Centre in Guelph due the Meridian Centre being in use for the Canada Summer Games.
Niagara earned a bye into the quarterfinals with their 13-7 record. They closed out the regular season with an 83-79 win over the Hamilton Honey Badgers on July 31.
In that game, the River Lions made a late run after falling behind early. They outscored Hamilton 30-17 in the fourth quarter and Elam time. Antonio Davis Jr (22 points, seven rebounds) and Khalil Ahmad (21 points, nine rebounds, seven assists) led the team in scoring while Elijah Mitrou-Long added 13 points and five rebounds off the bench.
How Niagara starts this game against Guelph could be a key factor. “We have a group of guys who are capable of being a really, really good basketball team and we get in our own way a lot more than we should,” head coach Victor Raso said after the Hamilton game. Raso said the team attacked simple things, settled down and got to their game plan in the fourth quarter. Can they carry their strong second half play against Hamilton into this game?
The River Lions are first in average points (88.2), blocks (4.8), steals (9.4) and second in field goal percentage (46.0 per cent). Meanwhile, the Nighthawks lead the league in field goal percentage (46.6 per cent) in what should be a game between two efficient offensive teams.
Guelph won two games in a row to close the regular season and clinch a playoff spot as the seventh seed. Then they beat the Fraser Valley Bandits on the road in the play-in game.
It was a close game throughout as Guelph shot the ball well (52 per cent from the field, 60 per cent from three). Guards Cat Barber hit three-for-four from deep while Ahmed Hill went six-for-eight from deep. Meanwhile, Giorgi Bezhanishvili had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Hot shooting will be crucial for the Nighthawks to match Niagara’s offence. Barber and Hill will play an important role in initiating the offence as well as guards Stef Smith and Sean Miller-Moore. Forwards Olu Ashaolu (who played for the River Lions earlier this season), Lucas Nogueira and Maurice Calloo will be matched up against Davis Jr. and EJ Onu, who leads the CEBL in average blocks (3.3).
Another key matchup is between Ahmad and Barber. Ahmad leads the league in average points (21.1) while Barber is fourth (19.9). Barber is also fourth in average steals (5.0). During Elam time, don’t be surprised to see the ball in these two players’ hands.
The Nighthawks lost the previous two meetings against Niagara this season. However, despite being designated as the visiting team, they will be playing in Guelph. The winner of this game faces the winner of the Scarborough Shooting Stars versus Saskatchewan Ratters quarterfinals game in the semifinals on Aug. 12.
Fans will be able to live stream all games including the playoffs on the CEBL’s OTT streaming service CEBL+, the CEBL’s official app, CEBL Mobile for iOS and Android devices, cbcsports.ca, the free CBC Gem streaming service, the CBC Sports App for iOS and Android devices and on NXT Level Sports in the U.S. As part of its playoff coverage, CBC Sports will broadcast the quarterfinal games Sunday, August 7, semifinal games Friday, August 12, and the Championship game on Sunday, August 14. For the complete broadcast and streaming schedule, click here. All times are subject to change.
The CEBL’s fourth regular season began May 25 and ended August 1. A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL is the largest pro sports league in the country with 10 teams located in six provinces. It has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 71 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us (@cebleague) on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.