River Lions Host BlackJacks For First Time This Season

The Niagara River Lions look for their second straight win when they host the Ottawa BlackJacks on Saturday night at 7 p.m. ET.  The River Lions are 5-3 and the BlackJacks 1-5.

This is the first of a home and home series for Niagara with the BlackJacks, and the first time this season these two teams have played each other.  The River Lions are coming into the game off of a 76-64 win over the Montreal Alliance.   In that game, the shot blocking and efficient shooting of the River Lions put them out to an early lead in the first quarter and kept them in-front throughout the game with the Alliance never holding a lead. 

The facilitators of Khalil Ahmad, Daniel Walden-Mullings and Philip Scrubb went against Hernst Laroche, Kemy Osse and Alain Louis and led the River Lions to assist on 22 of 29 made baskets shooting a 51 per cent from the field.  Ahmad led the River Lions in points with 14 and combined with Walden-Mullings seven assists and five steals to create and execute on the River Lions possessions efficiently.  Those five steals led to 22 points from turnovers for the River Lions, and breaking up the offence to get out and run is a key for the River Lions establishing their pace.

Ahmad and Walden-Mullings have a matchup with Walt Lemon Jr. and Bernard Thompson, two players who each had four assists apiece and a combined 32 points.  The starting guard Lemon Jr. scored 25 for the BlackJacks on 64 per cent shooting and his agility will be put up against the ability for Ahmad to create separation and find his chances.

Along the perimeter, Thompson and Cody John will be put up against the three-point shooting of Jaylen Babb-Harrison.  Babb-Harrison took seven threes in the River Lions win and Thompson and John combined for 11 attempts. 

The BlackJacks lost their most recent game, 83-73 to the Guelph Nighthawks.  Going against the pace and guard heavy Nighthawks offence with A.J. Lawson, Ahmed Hill and Cat Barber, the BlackJacks matched their fast break points and the pace of the Nighthawks.  The BlackJacks got 42 points in the paint in their game against Guelph, while the River Lions got 40 in their win.  The matchup inside between Posthumus, Edosomwan, Onu and Keita as both teams create space and size for their offence and their rebounding will be critical for efficiency and execution of the drive heavy offenses. 

In that matchup, the BlackJacks got contributions from many on the roster but inside the paint, the forwards of Posthumus and Zena Edosomwan got on the boards to combine for 19 rebounds, 13 defensive and six offensive.  The River Lions combo of Ej Onu and Tidjan Keita give the River Lions rim protection and size inside, and for the BlackJacks, Posthumus and Edosomwan provide physicality and rebounds. 

The BlackJacks are coming off of one loss and are looking to get back in the win column while the River Lions are trying to create a winning streak and push back up towards the top of the CEBL standings. 

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.