River Lions and Rattlers Looking to Rebound with a Win

The Niagara River Lions (1-2) continue their road trip as they tip off against the Saskatchewan Rattlers (0-3) at the SaskTel Centre at 3:00 p.m. ET/ 2:00 p.m. local time. 

Both teams are looking to bounce back after a loss, and the Rattlers remain on the hunt for their first victory of the year.

Niagara won its season opener 103-78 against the Ottawa BlackJacks but have since dropped two games to undefeated teams, the Fraser Valley Bandits (3-0) and Edmonton Stingers (2-0).

Although the season is more than double the length of last year’s Summer Series, both teams know that every contest in the 14-game schedule is important and are on the hunt for a win on Sunday.

Through three games the River Lions have shown tremendous potential, especially when they bring energy defensively. Niagara was down as many as 19 points against the Stingers and were able to cut that lead down to only four. The team cooled off Edmonton’s x-factor, Xavier Moon, who scored 21 first quarter points but was held to only 17 for the rest of the game. Forcing Edmonton into deep contested jump shots further helped fuel Niagara’s comeback.

The River Lions were able to convert those stops on the defensive end into baskets on offence. Niagara has arguably one of the most athletic rosters in the CEBL, and proved just how dangerous they are in transition on opening night against Ottawa when they converted 28 points off turnovers. With shooters like Jaylen Babb-Harrison, Xavier Sneed, and Kassius Robertson, the team is excellent on the fast break because of their ability to finish at the rim and score from three-point range.

“The big thing for us is the defensive end. If we can keep improving there I think we’re going to be really good,” said head coach Victor Raso. “It fits our athleticism really well. When we execute defensively like we want to, we get out and go.”

Another bright spot in the loss was the play of former Duke Blue Devil, Javin DeLaurier. The six-foot-eight forward provided some key momentum-shifting plays for Niagara including a put back slam to cut the lead to seven in the fourth quarter. DeLaurier had his best game of the season against Edmonton nearly notching a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds.

One area where Niagara will look to improve is at the free-throw line. The River Lions were six for 19 shooting only 31 per cent against Edmonton. After mounting a comeback and losing by only seven points, capitalizing on opportunities from the free-throw line could have easily made up the point differential.

Despite some early losses, Saskatchewan has played good stretches of basketball but has struggled to put these periods together. The Rattlers have fought hard but offensive lapses have kept them winless early on in this CEBL season. 

Saskatchewan will look for a more complete scoring effort in this afternoon’s contest against Niagara, especially after big man JaKeenan Gant went down with an injury against Fraser Valley. Gant was the leading scorer in the team’s first two games with 22 points on opening night and 13 points in game two. 

In Gant’s absence, Rattlers guard Devontae Bandoo stepped up and headed the charge offensively scoring 25 points on 75 per cent shooting. The Baylor alumni is playing his first year of professional basketball and had his best performance in the team’s most recent game. Bandoo scored several deep three-pointers to try and help his team keep pace with the undefeated Fraser Valley Bandits.

The Rattlers are a team through and through and will have to step up collectively in order to get the win today. Each time they hit the court it’s a chance for the team to continue to build chemistry, something that will be crucial as the season progresses. 

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 & YouTub