River Lions improve to 5-1 with fourth win in a row

For the first time this season, jet lag wasn't a factor when the Canadian Elite Basketball League schedule had the Niagara River Lions playing on the road.

Instead of having to worry about changing their clocks, the St. Catharines-based team and Saturday night's opponent, the Guelph Nighthawks, were competing in the same time zone.

"It was a little weird not having to play against one of those out West teams that you have to fly to. A drive was a little awkward almost," head coach Victor Raso said after a 93-85 victory.

Niagara's second win in as many nights, and fourth in a row, improved the team to 5-1 one game into the second quarter of the fledgling pro league's inaugural season playing a 20-game schedule.

Raso said while benchmarks along the way are well and good, but the River Lions remain focused on the destination.

"We want to continue to grow as a team going forward," he added. "Our goal is to enter the playoffs in the best position to win to win a championship."

The first-year coach was impressed with how the team responded after trailing Saturday night's game 9-0 before making their first shot. Guelph kept Niagara off the scoreboard until 1:08 into the opening quarter when a layup from Nem Mitrovic sparked an 18-0 run.

"After that, it was our brand of basketball: strong defence, points off transition," Raso said. "I really liked our first half."

The second half? No so much.

After taking a 58-38 lead into the break, the River Lions were outscored 29-14 in the third quarter. They took the final quarter 21-18 holding on for the win.

Raso said the pace of play slowed down coming out of the break. That threw Niagara off balance, and Guelph back into the game.

"We couldn't get into any rhythm, and it hurt us. In hindsight, we probably should have run more sets to keep our flow going," Raso said. "Complacency comes with winning.

"We can't take anything for granted."

Guillaume Payen-Boucard's double-double — 17 points, 11 rebounds — led the River Lions on the scoreboard and under the glass.

Trae Bell-Haynes, Mitrovic, 15 each; Dorian Pinson, 14; and Ryan Anderson, 11; also reached double digits in scoring. Newly activated Kassius Robertson scored nine points in his second game in the Niagara lineup.

Friday night, the River Lions jumped out to a 6-0 lead and led the game for all but nine seconds on their way to a 108-87 victory over the Fraser Valley Bandits at Meridian Centre in St. Catharines.

Six Niagara players reached double digits in scoring, including three off the bench as the River Lions remained undefeated on their home court.

"We struggled to find our rhythm in the first half, but stayed the course and we broke through in the second half," head coach Victor Raso said. "Our energy picked up in the second half, which led to more stops on the defensive end and allowed us to get out in transition."

A field goal 5:18 into the second quarter put the Bandits up 36-35 for their only lead of the game. Niagara regained the lead nine seconds later on a three-pointer from Anderson and remained ahead the rest of the way.

Niagara, 4-1, out-rebounded the visitors from Abbotsford, B.C., 43-40 and shot 52 per cent from the floor, finishing the game 39-for-75.

Fraser Valley, 0-5, made 30 of 73 attempts for a 41 per cent shooting percentage.

Mitrovic went 5-for 8 from the beyond the three-point arc and led all scorers with 20 points. His fellow starters, Bell-Haynes and Payen-Boucard, collected 16 and 13, respectively.

Pacing the River Lions substitutes in points were Alex Johnson and Ryan Anderson, each with 14, and Yohanny Dalembert, 11.

Dorian Pinson and Anderson led Niagara in rebounds with six apiece.

Niagara's next home game is Saturday, June 8, against the Hamilton Honey Badgers. Start time at Meridian Centre is 7 p.m.

Lions lines: On Thursday, guard Kassius Robertson, 25, was activated by the River Lions active list. Last season, the Toronto native averaged 12.3 points, two rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in 34 games with Medi Bayreuth in the German Bundesliga Basketball League.

Bernd.Franke@niagaradailies.com

905-225-1624 | @TribSportsDesk

Bernd Franke | June 2, 2019 | The St. Catharines Standard