Game Day Recap: June 21st

The River Lions remain undefeated at home.

Friday night the Niagara River Lions defeated the Saskatchewan Rattlers 94-83 in front of 1,567 people at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharine’s. The River Lions improve to 8-2 on the year while the Rattlers fall to 6-4 on the season. The River Lions are now 5-0 at home.

The River Lions were led by guard Trae Bell-Haynes, who turned in a team-high 20 points while also adding 10 rebounds.

The added scoring by Bell-Haynes is a massive luxury for the River Lions, as Bell-Haynes usually takes care of distributing duties as River Lions floor general.

The River Lions again produced a defensive masterpiece in this one, holding the Rattlers offence to just 41% shooting from the field and 34% from behind the arc. That three-point percentage is boosted a bit by the first quarter production, where the Rattlers started four of seven. From there the River Lions held them to only seven of 25, good for only 28%.

The game started out fast for the Rattlers, who led by as much as seven in the opening frame. They were led by the hot shooting of Tavrion Dawson and led 23-19 at the break. Dawson, who had eight points on 60% shooting in the first quarter, finished the game with a game-high 22 points.

The River Lions bounced back with a strong second quarter, winning the quarter 25-15 with a string of runs late in the quarter to take a 44-38 lead heading into the break.

Another display of consistency for the River Lions this season has been the steady presence of Dorian Pinson. Pinson has been incredible defensively and as a ball-handler offensively, and he showed another all-around performance Friday night.

Pinson tallied 11 points, 13 rebounds and four assists in 32 minutes, leading the team in assists. His passing ability is a game-changer especially when Bell-Haynes carries the scoring load.

The third quarter started strong for the River Lions, as they jumped out to a nine-point lead three minutes in. However, the Rattlers responded well, winning the third quarter by eight points and taking a 63-61 lead heading into the final frame.

Those fourth quarter struggles the River Lions have been dealing with recently? They weren’t an issue tonight, as Niagara won the final frame 33-20, turning in their best quarter of the game and holding the Rattlers under 25 points for the third quarter of the game.

Friday was a big night for the River Lions, as they are now 4-1 against Hamilton and Saskatchewan, the two other best teams in the CEBL record-wise. They also improve to 3-0 against the Rattlers, with one more game remaining between the two teams.

Other than the scoring outburst from Dawson, the Rattlers were aided by performances from Bruce Massey (19 points on eight of 17 shooting), and Terry Thomas who chipped in with 14 points.

The next River Lions game is Wednesday, June 26 against the Hamilton Honey Badgers at the Meridian Centre.

By Nicolas Bueno