River Lions and BlackJacks square off with playoff implications on the line

The Niagara River Lions (5-3) host the Ottawa BlackJacks (3-6) on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. ET in front of fans at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines as both squads look to improve their playoff positioning. 

Coming into the contest, Niagara and Ottawa are sitting fourth and fifth respectively in the CEBL standings. While neither team would move up or down in the rankings after Saturday’s result, the season nearing its close means that each squad must remain on high alert. 

As it stands now, Niagara would be hosting Ottawa in the four-versus-five quarterfinal game. Should the BlackJacks take care of business on the road though, the team would move just one game behind the River Lions in the win column. Not only would a Niagara victory give them breathing room for the four seed but it would also give the team further ability to make its way up to number two and receive a bye to the semifinals. 

While the battle of Ontario is sure to be an interesting game regardless, the added intrigue of the playoff picture should make for a compelling Saturday night tilt.

The only previous matchup between Niagara and Ottawa came on the very first night of the season way back on June 24th. Niagara pulled away with a convincing 103-78 victory on the road behind 30 sensational points from Jaylen Babb-Harrison.

It was clear that the BlackJacks were a new bunch who had yet to play together much. They struggled to create open looks offensively, and often had communication lapses on defense. Case in point, emerging star Nick Ward only took seven shots in the loss with his teammates struggling to find ways to feed their big man in the post. 

Both teams are much different a month later, from personnel to playstyle to overall familiarity with each other. Still, lessons can be learned from last time out that could give either team a leg up this time around. 

Saturday will mark the first time BlackJack fans are seeing three new players on the roster. The team announced on Friday that Canadians Jadon Cohee and Mamadou Gueye along with import guard Antonio Williams have been added to the squad ahead of the game against Niagara.

Cohee will be making his CEBL debut after a standout college career that ended at the University of British Columbia. Gueye joins the squad after a five-game stint with the Guelph Nighthawks earlier this season. Williams will be playing for his second-ever professional squad as a scoring guard out of Kent State.

While the River Lions don’t have any new additions to match their opponent, reintegrating a player as talented as Phil Scrubb into their lineup might be equally as important. The veteran guard played only 21 minutes in his season debut earlier this week, a number that is sure to be boosted as the campaign progresses.

Beyond the players on the floor, Saturday’s tilt also represents two squads with very different playing styles. 

Ottawa excels on the offensive end, ranking top three in the league in points per game, field goal percentage and three-point percentage. Meanwhile, Niagara hangs its hat on the defensive end, leading the CEBL in steals by a wide margin while also sitting second in blocks per game. 

The winner between these two teams could come down to which one is able to establish their style of play off the bat. If the game is an up-and-down affair, it favours the BlackJacks, while a slowed down, physical contest plays into the hands of the River Lions. 

All CEBL games 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