Win Will Assure River Lions of First Place

Niagara River Lions coach Victor Raso is betting a commitment to team play will top an airlift of talent.

His River Lions are in first place in the Canadian Elite Basketball League and head into a road contest Wednesday night against the Hamilton Honey Badgers sporting a 14-5 record.

A win at FirstOntario Centre in downtown Hamilton will clinch first place for Niagara and give the River Lions the top spot in the championship weekend seeding next weekend in Saskatoon.

"A win in Hamilton will mean we finish first and will play Hamilton in the first round of the final four," Niagara coach Victor Raso said. "If we lose, there is a chance we finish in second — and have to play the hometown Saskatchewan Rattlers in Saskatoon. Wednesday is a big game for us."

The River Lions have taken two of three games with Hamilton this season with 107-90 and 108-96 wins at Meridian Centre. The Honey Badgers prevailed 107-95 in Hamilton. The Honey Badgers are 10-9 and locked into fourth place.

Niagara and Hamilton played their last game July 26, but Raso makes a good case for setting the records aside.

"We had a tough loss up there in Hamilton and then turned around and beat them pretty handily at home," he said. "They are a completely different team. They made a roster overhaul in the last few weeks. They have the most talented roster in the league, but they haven't been together for very long."

The Honey Badgers added Xavier Rathan-Mayes from Toronto with five games left in the season. The guard has NBA experience, having played five games with Memphis, where averaged 5.8 points, 3.6 assists and 23.6 minutes. His resume also includes having played high school ball in West Virginia as a teammate of fellow Canadian Andrew Wiggins.

Hamilton also added Cliff Clinkscales, a former NBL all-star, as well as three other Canadian pros. That group includes guard Duane Notice, who played for the Raptors 905 G League team.

The Honey Badgers also finally signed their first-round draft choice MiKyle McIntosh of Pickering, another member of the Raptors 905 squad.

"They are a dangerous opponent," Raso said. "They can really score If they ever figure out how to play together they can be really good. It's an interesting situation. If we beat them, they will have a week-and-a-half to correct their mistakes.

"We have to prepare as if each of these next games is do-or-die. The Hamilton one may not be, but that is the mentality we have to have."

The River Lions have a balanced attack with Guillaume Payen-Boucard leading the team in scoring with 16.2 points per game.

Ryan Anderson is averaging 13.2 points per game while Dorian Pinson averages 13 points per game. Nem Mitrovic is scoring 12.1 a game and Sam Muldrow 9.5.

Pinson leads the River Lions in rebounds with 7.7 boards per game. Payen-Boucard is averaging 7.5 rebounds a game. Yohanny Dalembert is rebounding at a 4.9 per game clip.

"We were really good at the start of the season," Raso said. "We became a little bit complacent, and we bounded back and played one of our best games of the season and Fraser Valley last week," Raso said. "Our guys are locked in. We like each other and the guys have loved the experience. We only have 12 days left. We are in a position to make a good run.

"We knew our advantage in Niagara was going to be that we had a group of high-character players who live together and want to get better and enjoy the experience."

Bernd Franke | August 13, 2019 | The St. Catharines Standard