River Lions Continue Winning With Close 90-86 Triumph Over BlackJacks
In what ended up being a game of runs, the Niagara River Lions staved off a late Ottawa BlackJacks comeback to win 90-86 in the nation’s capital.
The game started and ended close but the two sides traded big runs in the second half. The River Lions move to 7-3 while the BlackJacks fall to 1-7. It marks the River Lions’ third win in a row.
Jaylen Babb-Harrison hit a three to put Niagara up 5-2 in the first couple of minutes. Cody John and Jackson Rowe answered to give Ottawa a 6-5 lead. John continued to score by attacking inside and Chad Posthumus finished off a dunk to increase Ottawa’s lead.
River Lions forward EJ Onu made a difference in the first quarter with his rim protection and scoring (five points). The score remained close as Ottawa kept going inside. Niagara shot well from deep with Munis Tutu hitting two threes as they led 22-21 after 10 minutes.
The lead continued to change hands in the second quarter with both teams attacking the paint. Thomas Scrubb nailed a transition three to put the BlackJacks back on top 33-32. Ottawa’s Walt Lemon Jr. was scoring at the basket and making plays. Deng Adel knocked down back-to-back triples to put the BlackJacks up 44-42 at halftime.
The River Lions pushed the basketball in transition as Antoine Davis Jr. got to the free throw line and Daniel Walden-Mullings scored a layup. Babb-Harrison added a three as they went back ahead 50-44. The home team fought back with four straight points by Rowe to tie the game at 50.
Both sides continued to score and make defensive stops as the third quarter ended tied 64-64 after Niagara’s Khalil Ahmad hit a three at the buzzer. Niagara carried that momentum into the fourth quarter as Babb-Harrison hit a three and Ahmade scored a layup as part of a 15-2 run.
The River Lions continued to pull away with their defence and transition offence. Ottawa made a late push in Elam time with a Scrubb three and Rowe drive to make it 86-81. Maxime Boursiquot hit a three to trim it to 88-86 but Ahmad hit a turnaround jumper to clinch the win.
The River Lions outshot the BlackJacks from the field (49-42 per cent), the free throw line (80-56 per cent) and from three (56-40 per cent). They also won the rebounding battle 46-34 and had 23 fast break points to Ottawa’s nine.
“I thought we played in a malaise until mid third quarter and then we found a group on the floor, we just played with a ton of great energy and started to play the way we’ve been playing all year. I was happy with that,” River Lions head coach Victor Raso said.
Raso said the team knew the game was going to be a mental battle. “We bounced back when we had to and I’m proud of the guys for that,” he noted.
Niagara had consistent scoring and rebounding across the lineup with Ahmad (25 points) and Walden-Mullings (10 rebounds) as the leaders. Posthumus had a double-double (10 points, 14 rebounds) while Adel led the team in scoring (20 points) and Lemon Jr. in assists (five).
“I think we’re finally playing as a team,” Rowe said. “It seems like everybody was able to go out and show what they do today and I think that’s something to build on.” He said the team is figuring out how to play isolation and team basketball and said the focus is on continuing to build.
The BlackJacks host the Edmonton Stingers on June 23. Meanwhile, the River Lions go on the road to face the Saskatchewan Rattlers on July 1.
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