Honey Badgers, River Lions Both Look To Rebound After Crushing Losses

The Hamilton Honey Badgers (6-2) travel west on the QEW to face off against the Niagara River Lions (3-3) at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, ON at 7 PM ET on Saturday. 

Both teams will look to regain much needed momentum as the Honey Badgers were blown out in shocking fashion at the hands of the undefeated Edmonton Stingers (7-0) on Thursday, while the River Lions came up short against Hamilton in a thriller (78-76) on Tuesday night.

Although the Honey Badgers have already clinched a playoff berth, after Guelph defeated Saskatchewan, a win will be pivotal in their quest to maintain high seeding in hopes of punching their direct ticket to the 2021 Championship Weekend Semifinals.

A bright spot for Niagara in their loss to the Honey Badgers was their inside presence. The River Lions outscored the Honey Badgers 42 – 26 in the paint. Expect Niagara to continue relying on size and presence to gain an offensive advantage. Import forwards, Javin Delaurier and Xavier Sneed will play a prominent role in setting the tone down low in a much-anticipated battle with Hamilton forwards Kalif Young and Thomas Kennedy. 

The former Duke Blue Devil Delaurier currently ranks third in rebounds (10.2) while Sneed ranks fourth in scoring (19.2). 

Sneed’s consistent scoring was on full display in Niagara’s previous encounter with Hamilton as the former Kent State Wildcat put up 20 points. 

Despite battling an apparent lower-body injury, Daniel Waldin-Mullings engineered an impressive all-around performance against Hamilton, recording 13 points along with six rebounds, four assists, four steals and a block. 

An often overlooked positive for the River Lions has also been their defensive output. Niagara currently ranks first in steals (12.2) and second in blocks per game (3.8), while 2019 CEBL Canadian Of The Year, Guillaume Boucard as well and the aforementioned Waldin-Mullings currently lead the league in steals (2.3). 

Currently shooting 46 per cent from the field, Hamilton had a subpar shooting night against the Stingers on Thursday, as the Honey Badgers were held by reigning CEBL Champions to just 37 per cent from the field.

Expect Dartmouth, N.S. native Lindell Wigginton to be a central piece in Hamilton’s shooting recovery. The CEBL’s second-leading scorer (23.3 points per game) led the way in their first encounter with the River Lions with a game-high 25 points. 

Wigginton has also been efficient from beyond the arc, currently leads the league in 3-Pointers made with 25, while the Honey Badgers also rank first in that category with 84. 

Already making a case strong for the 2021 Player Of The Year Award, Wigginton has scored 20-plus points in seven of his eight appearances. His presence has been crucial in helping Hamilton return to the playoffs. 

“I’ve been focused on making the right reads on offence and getting my guys involved,” said Wigginton. “I think I’ll get better each game.”

This game will be available for live streaming on the CEBL’s new OTT streaming service, CEBL+, cbcsports.ca, the free CBC Gem streaming service, the CBC Sports App for iOS and android devices, and on Twitch.

A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 75 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 typically runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube