Streaking River Lions host BlackJacks in Eastern Conference bout
By: Dillon White
The Niagara River Lions will look to win their fourth straight game in an Eastern Conference showdown with the Ottawa BlackJacks at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday at the Meridian Centre.
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 is coming off wins against Calgary, Montreal and Ottawa – tonight’s opponent. Since reigning CEBL MVP Khalil Ahmad joined the squad on June 3, the River Lions have won five of six games.
However, the squad won’t have much time to rest and recover from their 99-86 win over Calgary on Friday afternoon. Ahmad scored a game-high 30 points in the win, while Jahvon Henry-Blair scored 16 points on 66 per cent from the field. The River Lions shot 50 per cent from the field, 45 per cent from three and forced 23 Calgary turnovers.
Meanwhile, Ottawa is coming off a heartbreaking home loss to Montreal. The BlackJacks came back from 16 points down to take the lead into target score time against the Alliance but missed two chances to win, including a free throw.
The loss dropped Ottawa to fourth place in the Eastern Conference at 4-5 on the season, behind Brampton at 5-5, Niagara at 5-4 and Scarborough at 5-4. The Eastern Conference is poised for a tight playoff race with a two-way tie for first place and just 1.5 games separating first from last.
“You could end up winning the division, or you could end up being out of the playoffs and it might be a free throw that makes the difference,” Ottawa head coach James Derouin said. “Everybody's aware of it in the division. I think you're seeing playoff-like atmosphere [and] intensity out there. That's because all the coaches and players are fully aware of the situation.”
Derouin says adjustments going forward for the BlackJacks include avoiding situations where there’s a large deficit to come back from.
“We just got to find ways to limit the runs where we dig ourselves a hole,” Derouin said. “We continue to dig ourselves a hole and have to fight our way out of it. So we got to find a way not to fall apart and then use so much energy trying to come back in the game.”
In the previous meeting between Ottawa and Niagara last Sunday, the River Lions earned a 93-82 win powered by an all-around performance from Ahmad and five players in double figures. Ahmad tallied 19 points, eight assists and six steals in the win.
Niagara brings an excellent offence with a deep roster into Saturday’s contest. The River Lions lead the league in both points per game and field percentage. Their attack is highlighted by the backcourt of Ahmad and Henry-Blair, who average 17.2 points and 15.7 points respectively.
Edward Ekiyor’s energy off the bench has provided Niagara with steady scoring and rebounding, while Antonio Davis Jr. and Lloyd Pandi stuff the scoresheet as well. Reigning CEBL Defensive Player of the Year EJ Onu is continuing to provide elite rim protection while averaging just under nine points per game.
On the other side, Ottawa could come out with a new-look lineup on Saturday. The BlackJacks’ top scorer and passer Kadre Gray missed Thursday’s game against the Alliance with an injury. The Canadian facilitator is averaging 17.4 points and 6.9 assists on 49 per cent shooting in eight starts. However, the guard’s status for the game against Niagra is up in the air.
The BlackJacks can compensate for Gray's possible absence with the potential debut of 2022 CEBL Champion and Canadian Player of the Year Caleb Agada. The team announced the signing of Agada for the remainder of the 2023 CEBL season on Friday. In last year’s championship run with the Honey Badgers, Agada averaged 12.4 points and 6 rebounds in 21 starts.
One sure thing for Ottawa is the presence of Deng Adel. Adel is a complete player that provides scoring, rebounding and playmaking to the BlackJacks. He led their comeback on Thursday night and averages 16.6 points, 7 rebounds and 5.4 assists on the season. Ottawa will also look to sharpshooter Michael Flowers, big man Zena Edosomwan and veteran playmaker Thomas Scrubb to step up and contribute.
The teams will meet again on July 20 at TD Place.
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.