End of Game Heroics Help River Lions Clinch Playoff Spot

The River Lions finish the 2020 regular season with a 2-4 record, while Ottawa will take its shot at avoiding elimination in a do or die final game against Saskatchewan on Wednesday evening.

“In the second half we just played incredibly hard,” said River Lions head coach and general manager Victor Raso. “We were organized defensively; we didn’t give up as many transition points and we found Johnny (Berhanemeskel) because he was killing us in the first half and then we just made smart basketball plays.” 

Berhanemeskel scored a team-high 18 points for the BlackJacks, including three three-pointers. Kassius Robertson countered with a game-high 28 points for the River Lions. Much like Berhanemeskel, Robertson scored the majority of his points from long distance, cashing in on seven three-pointers. 

The River Lions trailed by double digits at the half, but awoke from their slumber in the third quarter when Robertson caught fire. The talented guard tallied 14 points in the quarter and brought Niagara to within a single point of Ottawa heading into the fourth and final frame.

“It was good for us because I was making shots,” Robertson said. “It was opening up a lot of spaces on the floor – that’s what we’ve been struggling with this whole tournament; is spacing on the floor and guys collapsing on us because we aren’t making shots so it felt nice to finely make some today.”

Niagara’s defence fueled its offence all game long. Dorian Pinson and Grandy Glaze recorded two blocks each as the River Lions’ help defence did its part to prevent athletic BlackJacks guards Olivier Hanlan and Lloyd Pandi from finding their rhythm. Hanlan attempted just six shots, making two, and Pandi was blocked three times in the game.

The tides began to turn in Niagara’s favour in the fourth quarter as a nifty bounce pass from Glaze to Pinson gave the River Lions a three-point lead. With the River Lions threating, Munis Tutu took over as part of a performance that will surely go down as the best of his young professional career. The young point guard scored 15 points and recorded five rebounds and five assists. Much to the delight of the BlackJacks bench, Tutu earned several and-one opportunities in the third quarter thanks to his quick first step and ability to finish through contact. 

Both teams entered the Elam Ending knotted at 71-71. Two free throws by Tyrone Watson gave Niagara a five-point cushion, only for Ottawa to score eight unanswered points, which set the stage for a climactic ending. With the game on the line, Trae Bell-Haynes corralled a defensive rebound and raced coast-to-coast where he converted a layup in traffic to end the game and solidify a playoff berth for the River Lions.

With the win, the River Lions will play in one of two possible quarter final matchups on Thursday afternoon. Heading into Wednesday’s games, Fraser Valley, Hamilton, Niagara and Guelph all face the possibility of shifting positions in the standings based upon the last two games of the round robin on Wednesday. Guelph takes on Fraser Valley at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT) and Ottawa faces Saskatchewan at 7:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. MT). For Saskatchewan and Ottawa, both teams need a win in order to qualify for the playoffs.

“There’s a lot of great players on that team (Saskatchewan) and anybody can get hot at any one time,” BlackJacks head coach Osvaldo Jeanty said. “We just have to make sure that we understand the scouting report and that we come ready with some energy tomorrow.” 

All CEBL Summer Series games are available to watch on Twitch, CBCSports.ca and the CBC Gem App. A complete broadcast schedule can be found here.