CEBL Inaugural Season: River Lions Mid Season Report

Week nine of the CEBL is upon us, and the Niagara River Lions sit atop the standings with a 9-3 record.

Now in July, the River Lions have played every team minus the Fraser Valley Bandits multiple times, and possess a winning record against four out of the five other teams. The only team they don’t have a winning record against is Edmonton, where they are 1-2 after losing both games on the road.

“It’s nice to be 9-3 and in first but we’re at a crucial point in the season,” said head coach Victor Raso.

“We still have to play Fraser Valley three times, twice at their place and they are much better now.”

The River Lions also remain undefeated at home, going a perfect 6-0 at the Meridian Centre. They have an even split on the road, going 3-3, losing at Hamilton and Edmonton twice.

“We have four road games remaining and we’ve been .500 on the road. In each of our losses we came out flat- which has been a combination of not being mentally ready from the start and partly due to difficult turnarounds,” Raso said. “We are getting each team’s best shot (at us), and when we lose it’s usually when we become the hunted and lose the hunter’s mentality. That’s something that will make or break our season going forward.”

The early trends of the season have continued for the River Lions for the most part: they lead the CEBL in points per game (103), they are second in assists per game (20.4), they lead the league in shooting percentage (48.1%) and three-point percentage (38.2%), steals (8.8) blocks (4.3) and they also take care of the ball very well (13.8 turnovers per game, second in the league).

Some question marks have also been raised this year, particularly with focus. The River Lions struggled in the fourth quarter in the month of June, surrendering double digit leads to Guelph and Hamilton in consecutive games. They also got off to poor starts in Edmonton and Hamilton, and fell apart at the brink of epic comebacks.

Raso’s egalitarian offense still reigns supreme- they’re now up to seven players who average double figure scoring per game, up from five from the quarter mark in the season, and their selflessness continues to be a strong point moving forward.

They are still led in scoring by Guillaume Boucard (15.8 points per game) who has continued his fantastic run this season, but the other forward spot has spawned the emergence of Dorian Pinson.

Pinson, 23-years old, was the first player in CEBL history to get a triple-double. In 12 games this year, (all of them starts), Pinson averages 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. His Swiss-Army knife style of play allows him to run the offense, get a basket or a crucial stop. Whatever the River Lions have needed from Pinson, he has delivered.

The centre rotation has also been a luxury for the River Lions, as both centres average at least one block per game: Sam Muldrow at 1.7 and Yohanny Dalembert at 1.3.

The bench play of the River Lions also continues to be strong, especially with Ryan Anderson and Alex Johnson leading the second unit. Anderson is second on the team in scoring with 14.5 points per game while shooting 39% from behind the arc. More than just a scorer, Anderson also averages 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game in 22.2 minutes per game.

Johnson, on the other hand, got his first start last game with Trae Bell-Haynes on the shelf. In 21.8 minutes per contest, Johnson averages 10.1 points, 3.3 assists and also shoots 35.9% from behind the arc.

The River Lions have done a lot of good so far this season, and one can only wonder what heights they will reach when they make the correct adjustments down the stretch.

Their next game is Friday, July 5 at home against the Saskatchewan Rattlers.

Tip-off is at 7 PM.