Game Day Recap: July 5th

Friday night saw the River Lions achieve two milestones.

All it took was a 97-89 win at the Meridian Centre to become the first team in the CEBL to reach 10 wins and achieve their first ever season sweep of a team.

The River Lions, 10-3, were led in scoring by Trae Bell-Haynes with 21 points (he also pitched in with four assists), but perhaps most impressive was the play of their bench. Yohanny Dalembert and Ryan Anderson each scored 14 points off the pine, with Dalembert adding 12 rebounds and Anderson shot four of seven from behind the arc.

“My role off the bench is to bring that extra spark of energy,” Dalembert said. “People take coming off the bench the wrong way. You get to see the game, and make a change/impact as soon as you come in. It can be (anything from) rebounding, moving the ball, getting guys open, etc.”

The Rattlers, losers of two straight coming into this one, were hungry out of the gate, leading 18-17 after one. Their defense was some of the toughest and most physical Niagara has seen all season, and it caused real problems for the River Lions early.

The River Lions opened up the game at the halfway point, leading 44-35 after two quarters. In the first quarter the Rattlers were able to dampen the River Lions’ shooting percentages (42%), but with the increased ball movement (14 assists at half), the River Lions were able to raise their field goal percentage to 50% and 44% from behind the arc.

They also shared the ball well, having 14 assists to Saskatchewan’s seven.

The third quarter was most impressive for Niagara, as Saskatchewan opened up the first three and a half minutes on a 14-4 run.

After a Trae Bell-Haynes lay-up, multiple stops and a Ryan Anderson four-point play, the River Lions had a 65-54 lead with 2:30 left, and headed into the fourth quarter up 70-61.

The River Lions got the stops they needed, remained calm under pressure, and answered the Rattlers every time they threatened to make a run.

It’s unfortunate that went out the window in the last minutes of the fourth quarter.

The fourth started out well for Niagara: the Rattlers were issued two technical fouls, Dorian Pinson and Dalembert threw down back-to-back monstrous dunks leading to an 84-66 lead heading into a timeout.

Up 89-74 with 2:30 left, head coach Victor Raso put in newcomer Gilbert Gyamfi and U-Sports player Tyler Brown to empty the bench. Raso then watched as the 15-point cushion was narrowed to just five with 50 seconds left.

“Yeah we have to be better,” Anderson said. “The game is never over till it’s over. We have to be better in those moments and we will. Closing a game is never as easy as it seems especially when we have large leads. So it will definitely be something to focus on, but I believe we will continue to evolve and grow.”

Fourth quarters have been a sore spot for the River Lions this year, and it’s something to keep an eye out for as they head to the final stretch of the season.

The next game is July 11 for their second meeting of the season with the Fraser Valley Bandits.

Tip off is at 7PM PT/ 10PM ET in Abbotsford, BC.

By Nicolas Bueno