July 15 2022 Newfoundland Growlers Host Hot River Lions

The 2-11 Newfoundland Growlers try and improve on their record as they host the 10-4 Niagara River Lions at 7:30 p.m. NT on Friday.  Niagara is riding a three game winning streak with Newfoundland winning its last game.

The last time these two teams played, Niagara won by a slim 98-97 margin on June 10.  Khalil Ahmad led the scoring for the River Lions with 21 points including the game winning free throw, and Brandon Sampson scored 26 points for the Growlers.  With the score 89-84 going into Elam time, Philip Scrubb scored first for the River Lions with Sampson and Jahvon Blair scoring for the Growlers.  With the score 94-88 for the River Lions and the target score at 98, Newfoundland clawed their way back by getting to the free throw line and Blair hitting a three to tie it at 95.  Ahmad at the rim made it 97-95 River Lions, two free throws from Sampson tied it at 97 and Ahmad got to the line to win it for Niagara.

Niagara won the rebounding battle 38-35 off of Antonio Davis Jr and Tidjan Keita, but Newfoundland’s 50 per cent shooting from the field kept it close while Niagara got 18 points off turnovers shooting 51 per cent.

Going into this matchup, the ability to turn the ball over will be key for both sides defensively.  In Newfoundland’s 93-91 win over Saskatchewan, they scored 16 points off of just 10 Rattlers turnovers, and they made the most out of extra possessions.  Keith ranks second in the CEBL in steals per game at 2.1, and disrupting the play of Daniel Waldin-Mullings and Khalil Ahmad to make the ball move will help them defend the multi-faceted River Lions offence. 

For the River Lions, Ahmad ranks fourth in assists per game with 5.1 and his ability to create separation off the dribble helps the facilitation of the River Lions play.  Getting to his spots and past Keith and the Growlers quick handed defenders will be vital for ball security against the Growlers defence who ranks first in steals per game with 9.3.

While Ahmad and Sampson lead the offences, Nysier Brooks and Keita will work the paint.  The River Lions rank fifth in rebounds per game with 35.5 and taking away Growlers second chances will put a lot of pressure on the Growlers shooters in Terry Thomas and Blake Francis to be efficient.  Brooks is the primary scorer inside the paint and his presence on the offensive glass will be a test for Keita who not only needs to keep up the River Lions rebounding but keep the paint out of the Growlers offence.

Thomas and Francis three-point shooting space the Growlers offence with the drive of Sampson and post play of Keith and Brooks, and they will be matched up with Jaylen Babb-Harrison and Elijah Mitrou-Long.  Mitrou-Long and Babb-Harrison combined for 14 attempted threes in the River Lions 101-88 win over Guelph on July 9, and Thomas and Francis combined for 12 attempts against Saskatchewan.  The shooting will be dependent on how the guards are able to take care of the ball, but once the shooters get the ball in their hands, the Growlers efficiency because of the River Lions rebounding advantage will put them on top, or the River Lions volume will give them the upper hand in this area of the game.

All games will be streamed live internationally on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, and on the CEBL Mobile app for iOS and Android devices. Games will also be available to stream live in Canada via cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices, and the free CBC Gem streaming service. 



A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 71 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball. The CEBL season runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us (@cebleague) on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.