HIGH-FLYING RIVER LIONS SEARCH FOR REVENGE AGAINST DEFENSIVE-MINDED CALGARY SURGE

Written by Josh Kozelj

The Niagara River Lions (4-4) and Calgary Surge (6-4) will look to inch towards the top of their respective conferences in a 11:00 am ET matinee showdown at the Meridian Centre. 

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

As the regular season marches towards the halfway point, both the River Lions and Surge come into tonight’s contest one half game back of top spot in the eastern and western conference standings. 

The matchup will also see Niagara, the CEBL’s highest scoring offence, who is averaging over 91 points per game, take on a Calgary team that has given up more than 90 points only one time through their first 10 games—which came in their last outing, a 93-80 loss to the Brampton Honey Badgers, on Wednesday night. 

Calgary allowed the Honey Badgers to shoot over 50 per cent from the field in that game and rack up 40 bench points. Before the loss in Brampton, though, Calgary had held teams to 81 points or less in five games this season. 

Both Stef Smith (2.3) and Admon Gilder Jr. (2.1) rank in the top five in the league in steals per game, while Kylor Kelley is leading the CEBL with 2.4 blocks per game. The feat is even more impressive considering Kelley has played primarily off the bench this season, averaging 11 minutes per night. 

On the opposing side, the River Lions have won four of five since reigning CEBL MVP Khalil Ahmad joined the team on June 3. Through his first five contests of the year, Ahmad is averaging 14.6 points and 8 assists per game. 

Jahvon Henry Blair, however, has been leading the charge offensively for the high-flying River Lions. The Brampton product, who played for the New York Knicks in summer league last year, is averaging a team-best 15.6 points per game and shooting over 46 per cent from three point range. 

Elsewhere, Edward Ekiyor has provided a pop off the bench all season. Ekiyor, who is averaging over 21 minutes played per contest, is putting up over 14 points and nearly 6 rebounds. 

As a team, along with leading the league in points per game, Niagara is also tops in field goal percentage (46.1). 

Calgary, meanwhile, is averaging the second fewest points per game (81.7) but are averaging a league-best 5.2 blocks per contest. 

This will be the second and final meeting between these two teams in the regular season. 

Calgary squeaked out a 85-82 victory back on May 30, days before Ahmad rejoined the River Lions. Henry-Blair scored a game-high 26 points in that matchup, while four Calgary starters—led by Simi Shittu’s 17—recorded double digits in points. 

Shittu’s 106 total rebounds on the year is also leading the CEBL. 

Today is the first of back-to-back home games for the River Lions, as they will square off against the Ottawa BlackJacks tomorrow evening. For Calgary, after today’s game, their three-game road trip will conclude Sunday in Vancouver. 

Full broadcast schedule of CEBL Games of the Week on TSN can be found here. All games will also be streamed live internationally on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, and on the CEBL Mobile app for 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 percent 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.