Bandits Gain Ground on Second Place With 95-86 Win Over River Lions
The Fraser Valley Bandits rode a strong fourth quarter to a 95-86 road victory over the Niagara River Lions.
The Bandits (11-7) moved within one game of Niagara (12-6) for second place as they won their second straight game. The River Lions lost their second straight game.
The Bandits were playing without forward James Karnik as Maxie Esho replaced him in the starting lineup. Esho kicked off the game with a dunk. Niagara’s Khalil Ahmad responded with a rhythm three before taking a charge.
The game was close throughout the first quarter with both teams making defensive stops and scoring in transition. Niagara showed their defensive prowess as Daniel Walden-Mullings scored off an Antonio Davis Jr. steal. He also added a floater to give the home team a 16-10 edge.
The River Lions took a 23-14 lead going into the second quarter after seven straight points by Elijah Mitrou-Long. The teams crashed the offensive boards as Fraser Valley attacked inside. Bandits forward Thomas Kennedy and Esho scored layups to give the Bandits the lead as they scored 14 straight points.
Fraser Valley continued to execute offensively, moving the ball well to get good looks at the rim. Kennedy and Esho had open dunks. Ahmad led the Niagara offence by scoring inside and out. The home team made a 4-0 run as they trailed 47-45 at halftime.
Niagara came into the third quarter attacking the rim as Onu, Davis Jr. and Jaylen Babb-Harrison all scored down low to retake the lead. The teams traded baskets down low as Davis Jr. and Alex Campbell both hit threes. Fraser Valley went ahead 72-66 after three quarters.
The Bandits started the fourth quarter well to take a double-digit lead as Esho and Kennedy scored off put backs. They led 86-79 going into the Elam Ending.
Malcolm Duvivier nailed back-to-back threes for Fraser Valley while Niagara got to the foul line multiple times. Kennedy added a dunk and Shane Gibson sank the game-winning free throw. “Malcolm’s threes were really big,” Bandits head coach Mike Taylor noted. “When you have players making big plays in those moments, it really gives you a spark.”
Fraser Valley had six players finish with double digit points, including Esho with 27 points, eight rebounds and two steals. They shot better than the River Lions from the field (50 to 43 per cent), three-point range (35 to 29) and the free throw line (80 to 77).
They hauled in 43 rebounds to Niagara’s 34 and had 22 assists to Niagara’s 16. Marek Klassen topped the team with 11 assists. “Being shorthanded, I’m really proud of the way the guys battled and fought together,” Taylor said. He called it a great team win.
Taylor said the team adjusted defensively from their previous game against Niagara. This included stopping the ball better in transition and changing up their coverages when guarding Ahmad by trapping and switching.
The River Lions also had six players with double figures in points. Ahmad (22 points) and Davis Jr. (17) led the way in scoring while Mitrou-Long led the team with seven assists.
“We see what we can do in spurts,” Babb-Harrison said. “When we’re all focused and locked in, when we defend, we rebound, we can all see we’re probably the best team in the league but we pick and choose our times. We’ve got to do that for 40 minutes.”
Niagara missed an opportunity to tie the Hamilton Honey Badgers for first place. Now they will have to beat Hamilton twice to close out the regular season in order to finish first.
The River Lions host Hamilton in the first game of their home-and-home on July 29. The Bandits go to face the Scarborough Shooting Stars on July 28.
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