Game Day Writeup: August 14th

Tonight the River Lions can make CEBL history.

After dropping games against the Edmonton Stingers and the Guelph Nighthawks, it was almost certain the Edmonton Stingers would finish first in the CEBL standings heading into Championship Weekend.

However, after back-to-back losses to the Saskatchewan Rattlers, the Stingers sit at second place in the standings with a 13-6 record. The River Lions are 14-5 and can clinch the #1 seed with a win at the Hamilton Honey Badgers.

This would make them the first #1 seed in CEBL history, potentially capping off a wildly entertaining season for Niagara.

In their way to first place stands the 10-9 Hamilton Honey Badgers.

The Honey Badgers are riding a two-game winning streak, with their last win coming against the Guelph Nighthawks.

The River Lions are 2-1 against the Honey Badgers this season, winning both games at home and losing on the road at the FirstOntario Centre. In their head-to-head matchup the River Lions average 103.3 points compared to Hamilton’s 99.7, and they have moved the ball better (75 total assists compared to the Honey Badgers’ 62).

However, they’ve been beat on the glass which has been a storyline all year (Hamilton edges them out in total rebounds 145-128).

Their last trip to Hamilton saw them lost that game 107-95. The River Lions let some opportunities slip late in the game to steal a road win. Honey Badgers guard Ricky Tarrant Jr was ejected in the third quarter while Demetrius Denzel-Dyson finished the game with 24 points.

Denzel-Dyson has been a beacon of consistency for Hamilton this season, scoring 19 points per game along with 4.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

The Honey Badgers are also aided by Tarrant Jr., who puts in 18.3 points per game as well as 4.7 assists per night as well.

The River Lions will be tasked with the addition of former Raptors 905 guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes to the Honey Badgers’ roster. Rathan-Mayes scored a CEBL-high 37 points in his debut against the Stingers just weeks ago, and projects to be a handful for the River Lions’ defense.

Niagara exercised their effort demons against Fraser Valley last week, keeping them at bay as they secured a win. Now they must beat a Honey Badgers team battling for 3 rd place in the “Battle of Ontario.”

Against the Bandits the River Lions were given a standout performance from centre Sam Muldrow who contributed 23 points and five rebounds in his best scoring game of the season. They also saw a standout performance from youngster Fil Vujadinovic who scored 11 points off the bench.

For the season, the River Lions have been led in scoring by Guillaume Boucard, who puts up 16.4 points per game as well as 7.4 rebounds per night.

If Niagara were to win tonight, they would play the Honey Badgers in the first round of the playoffs as well in the 1-4 seed matchup.

Tip-off is at 7 PM.

By Nicolas Bueno