BlackJacks Look to Keep Momentum Going Against River Lions

Ottawa’s two wins against “middle of the pack” opponents in the standings could prove crucial given they will own the tiebreaker over both clubs if all three teams finish the round robin with a 3-3 record.

The Niagara River Lions enter Tuesday’s action with a 1-4 record. They need to defeat the BlackJacks and hope the Saskatchewan Rattlers lose their final two games against Hamilton on Tuesday and Ottawa on Wednesday in order to qualify for the playoffs.

Tuesday’s game is available to watch on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Gem App, Twitch (CEBLeague) and can also be heard on TSN 1200 in Ottawa. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET 

It’s no secret that the Ottawa BlackJacks lean heavily on their local roots when it comes to sourcing talent. Seven of the 11 players on their current roster played their university ball at Carleton or the University of Ottawa. Expand that list to include players from the Ottawa-Gatineau region and nine current BlackJacks are from the Bytown area.

The youngest of the Ottawa exports is Lloyd Pandi, who since joining the BlackJacks in place of Phil Scrubb, has scored 10 points in back-to-back games on an efficient 61.5 percent shooting from the field. Pandi is also chipping in with 4.5 rebounds, three assists and two steals per game.

Despite being just 20 years old and having four more years of U SPORTS basketball ahead of him, Pandi has brought depth and relief to Ottawa’s starting core. If Pandi continues to flourish, Ottawa will be a dangerous team heading into the postseason.

The River Lions shot just 28 per cent from the field and 18 per cent from three-point territory in their 70-57 loss against the Fraser Valley Bandits. Kassius Robertson and Daniel Mullings led the team with 10 points a piece. The rest of the starting five combined for just 23 points.

The River Lions led the CEBL in three-pointers in 2019 but have struggled to find their stroke from beyond the arc in 2020, largely due to the retirement of renowned marksman Nem Mitrovic.

With Ryan Anderson, who shot just 32 percent from deep, being deactivated from the River Lions roster yesterday, it’s going to be tough to create open lanes for crafty guards Daniel Mullings and Trae Bell-Haynes to find room to operate.

Johnny Berhanemeskel scored just 14 total points in Ottawa’s two losses to open the CEBL Summer Series. But the former Ottawa Gee-Gee has since rounded into form, scoring 14 and 19 points in victories over Fraser Valley and Hamilton, respectively. The veteran has proved capable of spacing the floor with seven three-pointers in both of Ottawa’s wins and has also excelled as a primary or secondary ballhandler in tandem with Olivier Hanlan. 

Tonight’s contest against Ottawa is Niagara’s final game of the round robin portion of the CEBL Summer Series. Ottawa will play its final game of the round robin Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. MT) against Saskatchewan. Quarterfinals of the Series will be held Thursday at 5 and 5 p.m. ET.

Both games are available to watch on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Gem App and Twitch (CEBLeague).