Montréal Alliance lose fifth-in-a-row as the Niagara River Lions get a 100-93 win

By Zulfi Sheikh

Jahvon Henry-Blair’s 26 points led the Niagara River Lions (3-4) to a 100-93 win over the Montréal Alliance (2-5) in Tuesday night CEBL action.

Henry-Blair’s scoring performance was punctuated by an impressive shooting night from beyond the arch. He shot 66 per cent from distance and made eight triples, tying the record (with three others) for second-most threes made in a single CEBL game.

“I have a lot of confidence in my game,” said Henry-Blair following the win. “I’m always out there just having fun and playing my game...I’m just happy we got the win.”

The guard was supported by Lloyd Pandi who scored 19 points of his own to go with seven rebounds and five assists. Edward Ekiyor had himself another impressive performance off the bench for the River Lions, as he dropped 15 points on 6-7 shooting and seven assists. 

For Montréal it was Ahmed Hill leading the way as he notched 26 points and seven rebounds in what was a bounce-back night from a six-point outing a game ago. He was joined by Nathan Cayo who put up a season-high 22 points on an efficient 8-12 shooting.

This game started off inauspiciously when Montréal’s leading scorer Blake Francis went down with an injury less than a minute into the contest. The guard went for a crossover move while driving down the court and tumbled to the ground. Francis stayed on the floor for some time as he kept clutching what appeared to be his hamstring before eventually being helped off the court and not returning.

Despite losing their 22-point per game scorer, the team seemed to spark around the loss, as they started the game on a 7-0 run. A big part of that run was the leadership of Treveon Graham, as it was his nine points in the frame that were carrying the squad early. 

It was looking like things were going to get out of hand in favour of Montréal, mostly due to the River Lions starting a meager 2-10 shooting on the other end. Despite their offensive woes Niagara demonstrated great resilience of their own by going on a 16-7 run to take back the lead. The frame was capped off by a Henry-Blair three at the buzzer, giving the River Lions a 22-18 lead.

That three seemed indicative of what was to come, as the second frame quickly turned into a three-point shooting contest. The two teams went shot-for-shot and combined to make nine triples in the quarter, led by Henry-Blair who strapped three himself. His nine points in the period seemingly had his team up as they went into half-time, but a Graham triple in the final seconds of the frame knotted things at 48-48 going into the break.

Both teams would finish the night making double-digit triples, but Niagara’s +7 night in the category was key in them getting the victory. The River Lions were outshot from inside the arch and from the charity stripe but the 21 points they got over the Alliance from distance, ultimately swayed this game.

The third quarter was as tightly contested as the first half, with both teams scoring back-and-forth through the first six minutes of the frame. It was Niagara who broke the deadlock via a 9-2 run in the back-half of the third to take a 71-67 lead with one period to go.

The River Lions started the fourth determined to build on that lead and put this game away as they went on a 15-0 run to capture the first double-digit lead of the contest. Unfortunately for Montréal, things didn’t get much better as part of that run also included the loss of yet another key starter. After scoring 14 points up to that point, Graham left the game with an undisclosed injury at the 6:22 mark of the fourth and did not return. The Alliance went into Target Score Time down 91-78 as a result.

However, just like they did after losing Francis, the Alliance seemed to rally around the loss of their big man. The team started the final frame on a 7-3 run and cut the lead down to as little as five points. It was Cayo who led the way with six of Montréal’s 15 points in the period, capping off what was his best offensive night of the season. Unfortunately, the comeback ultimately fell short as Ekiyor jammed down a Henry-Blair lob pass to finish things off, 100-93 the final.

The Alliance have battled the injury bug all season, all within the starting line-up. Players like Binian Ghebrekidan, Hill, and now Francis and Graham have all lost time with injuries. It can be hard to take positives from a five-game losing streak like this, but head coach Derrick Alston thinks his team can benefit in the long run.

“They showed a lot of heart and determination,” Alston said. “When we get healthy it’s going to help us. Guys who wouldn’t usually play important minutes have had to play and that’s going to help their games.”

“I was proud of the guys. To come out here and have a chance to beat this team with six guys, it’s a good moment for us…no one’s going to feel sorry for us, we’re going to lick our wounds and be alright.”

Montréal will look to snap their losing skid as they stay on the road and head west to take on the Calgary Surge on Friday, while Niagara get an extra days rest before they visit the Ottawa BlackJacks on Saturday.

All games are available on TSN+ and CEBL+ Powered by BetVictor.

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.