Montreal enters Niagara for the River Lions Home Opener
Both teams are 2-1 and will be coming off of two wins when the Niagara River Lions host the Montreal Alliance in the River Lions home opener at 7 p.m. ET on June 3.
The River Lions recently defeated the Guelph Nighthawks in Guelph, 95-84 in a fast paced offensive game. Playmaking of the Nighthawks guards went up against the shot creating of Alonzo Walker and Khalil Ahmad. In the first half the River Lions matched the intensity of the Nighthawks and used offensive rebounding to stay in-front. Tidjan Keita used his size to help the River Lions get second chances and Walker got to the line. Niagara started to control the tempo of the game as it went on and their offence got to execute. 
Despite 23 turnovers, the River Lions used their fast pace to keep the Nighthawks defence from setting up and gave Niagara the upper hand. Controlling the pace was Walker early in the game. Walker ended with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds and he got to the free throw line early in the game to spark the Niagara offence. As the River Lions flowed, Khalid Ahmad put together a 33-point, four rebound, six assist and one steal performance to lead the game in scoring.
Ahmad will have a battle with Hernst Laroche who has led the Alliance on the floor. In Montreal’s most recent 86-80 road win over the Ottawa BlackJacks, Laroche scored 13 points, and in their previous 80-70 win over Scarborough, scored 10 points and assisted on six baskets to go with Dominic Green’s 36-point performance.
Beyond the guards, Montreal’s Gaios Skordilis shot 72 per cent from the field for 20 points inside during their win over Ottawa, and he will be matched up with Antonio Davis Jr. and Keita in the battle inside the paint.
Montreal’s win over Ottawa showcased the depth of the Alliance with 33 bench points, and their ability to capitalize on second chances with 17 points off turnovers. Creating and capitalizing on second chances whether it’s through rebounding or creating turnovers is something both Niagara and Montreal showed in their previous wins, and that is something to watch heading into this matchup.
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.