Gameday Preview: May 31st

The Rattlers are back in action at home tonight, hosting the Fraser Valley Bandits.

Friday, May 31, at 7 PM the River Lions (3-1) look to extend their winning streak to three games. The Bandits (0-4), however, are looking for their first win of the season.

Their winless record is not as telling as you would think, however. Of their four losses so far, three have been within single digits, including a disappointing 106-99 overtime loss against the Hamilton Honey Badgers on Wednesday.

Despite shooting better from the field, outrebounding and generating more assists than the Honey Badgers, the Bandits didn’t have enough to get the win in the end.

The River Lions, on the other hand, are coming off an impressive road victory over the Saskatchewan Rattlers which saw breakout performances from Dorian Pinson and Trae Bell-Haynes.

“Dorian and Trae are very competitive basketball players,” said head coach Victor Raso. “They are multi- dimensional and can impact the game in many different ways.”

Unlike the first two games they played on the road, the River Lions jumped out to a lead after the first quarter, despite conceding a 7-1 run to start the game. At half the lead was 14 points and it ballooned as high as 26.

“We often talk about ‘throwing the first punch’ and to do that we had an emphasis on being physical on rebounds and setting the tempo,” Raso said. “We allowed them to throw the first punch, but we responded quickly and set the tempo at our pace shortly after. That’s something we need to get better at as the game goes along.”

The River Lions also shot well from the field, hitting 44% as well as 37% from three. That can be attributed to the shooting abilities of marksmen Ryan Anderson and Nemanja Mitrovic lately.

“Ryan (Anderson) and Nem (Nemanja Mitrovic) continue to play their roles very well, and are shooting the ball at a high level,” Raso said regarding the attention their shooters require. “As a team, we look for them in transition and both of them do a good job of spacing off of our creators which allows them to get a lot of good looks.”

The River Lions sit at first place in the early CEBL standings, and this is their first look at Fraser Valley.

The Bandits opened their season with a pair of losses at the hands of the Guelph Nighthawks, losing 106-103 at home before falling 95-94 on the road.

The River Lions also activated and signed guard Kassius Robertson for the rest of the season, and he will be eligible to play in tonight’s game.

Robertson adds more depth to point guard, where he will help relieve Trae Bell-Haynes and Alex Johnson.

After tonight, the River Lions travel an hour down the road to get their first look at the Guelph Nighthawks.

By Nicolas Bueno