River Lions pursue fifth straight win in clash with Shooting Stars

By: Dillon White

The Scarborough Shooting Stars (+105) host the Niagara River Lions (-143) on Sunday at 7 p.m at Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre in a game rife with playoff implications.

The game will be available for streaming on TSN+, CEBL+ powered by BetVictor and on the CEBL Mobile app available on iOS and Android devices.

Niagara and Scarborough are grappling for control of second place in the Eastern Conference as they chase the first-place Ottawa BlackJacks for a chance at a bye to CEBL Championship Weekend in August.

The Shooting Stars are coming into the third and final meeting of the regular season with Niagara on a two-game losing streak. After they were defeated by Niagara last weekend, they lost 88-79 to the streaking BlackJacks on Friday night (July 14). Scarborough is 7-7 on the season with a 1.5-game advantage over both Montreal in fourth and Brampton in fifth — each with 6-9 records.

Meanwhile, the River Lions enter Sunday’s contest on a four-game winning streak. They sit in second place in the Eastern Conference, 1.5 games ahead of the third-place Shooting Stars. Niagara boasts a 9-6 record with five games remaining in the season — all against Eastern Conference teams. That includes an important home-and-home against the red-hot BlackJacks starting on Thursday (July 20).

With a win over Scarborough last Sunday and another in June, the River Lions hold the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Shooting Stars should the teams end the season with identical records. 

Last Sunday, a dominant fourth quarter from the River Lions led them to a 98-89 victory over the Shooting Stars. Khalil Ahmad netted a game-high 31 points and eight assists to steer Niagara’s offence, while EJ Onu added 15 points, seven rebounds and a block. David Muenkat tallied a team-high 21 points for Scarborough to go along with nine rebounds while Kyree Walker stepped up with 17 points and four steals. 

Shooting Stars’ guard Cat Barber had a game to forget last Sunday. He finished 0-10 from the field with just one point in almost 30 minutes of action. On Friday night against Ottawa, Barber followed up the one-point performance with 10 points on 4-11 shooting with four assists and four turnovers. 

He’ll look to return to form in a crucial game tonight. Barber ranks third in the CEBL in points per game at 21, ninth in assists and third in steals. He’s emerged as an MVP candidate through almost three-quarters of the season but will have the reigning MVP Khalil Ahmad to contend with on Sunday.

Ahmad has been outstanding in 2023 for the River Lions. He’s just outside the top five in points per game at 18.8, fourth in assists at 5.8 and first in steals at 2.7. The River Lions also feature the league leader in blocks with Onu, the reigning CEBL Defensive Player of the Year.

In addition to defensive playmakers, the River Lions also flaunt the highest-scoring offence in the CEBL this season. Niagara leads the league in points per game at 92.2, two-point percentage at 52 and free throws made at 17, while ranking top-five in field goal percentage, three-point percentage and assists.

Jahvon Blair is a major part of Niagara’s attack, forming one of the best backcourt duos in the league with Ahmad. The Canadian guard is averaging 15.1 points on 39.8 per cent shooting from the field and 46 per cent from three. He’s started every game this season for the River Lions along with Lloyd Pandi and Antonio Davis Jr. 

On the other side, Scarborough’s defence has been among the toughest in the CEBL this season. They’re third in points against (low to high) at 85.3 – just a tenth of a point more than their sixth-ranked 85.2 points per game. Despite a point differential of just -1 this season, the majority of the Shooting Stars’ games haven’t been close. In 14 games so far, they’ve had five games decided by five points or less, seven by 10 points or more and their last two losses by nine points. 

Outside of Barber, the Shooting Stars rely on a variety of players to contribute. In eight games with the team, Kyree Walker is averaging 13.9 points to go along with 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 steals. David Walker averages just over 10 points as well, while Kassius Robertson, David Muenkat and Kalif Young round out a capable supporting cast. 

Following Sunday’s game, the Shooting Stars face the Alliance in a home-and-home. The first matchup is slated for Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Verdun Auditorium. 

Meanwhile, the River Lions have a crucial home-and-home on the horizon against Ottawa, starting with a visit to TD Place on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. 

All games are available for streaming on TSN+, CEBL+ powered by BetVictor and on the CEBL Mobile app available on iOS and Android devices.

A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 71 per cent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May through August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.