River Lions Thump Rattlers
The Niagara River Lions continue to put the ball in the basket.
The River Lions topped the Saskatchewan Rattlers 108-91 Friday night in Canadian Elite Basketball League action in Saskatchewan.
The River Lions, 3-1, have hit triple digits in three of their four games this season, something head coach Victor Raso chalks up to the club’s willingness to work at the other end of the floor.
“There are going to be games where we don’t score 100,” Raso said. “There are going to be days where we don’t shoot the ball well so our focus is on the defensive end and rebounding because there’s going to be a time where we need to win a game in the 70s and we have to be ready for it.”
The River Lions were led offensivley by Nem Mitrovic (18 points) and Guillaume Payen-Boucard (17 points). Sam Muldrow chipped in with 16, Dorian Pinson 15 and Trae Bell-Haynes 15.
“Everybody is unselfish and we spend a lot of time spacing to make sure we’re never crowding the area,” Raso added. “Whoever has the ball has the ability to beat their man, and if they have to beat a second man, we’re spaced and ready for kick-outs.”
The game was a rematch of the season opener which saw the River Lions prevail 99-97.
“It definitely went the way we wanted,” Raso said. “The last time we played them there was no way we could prepare for them because it was the first game of the league. After seeing them, we were able to fully scout them and for us, it was our fourth opportunity to play and we really started to gel in our last game, our home opener.
“We had a little bit of a slow start — we got down 5-0 — but after that we defended really well as a team and we rebounded and if we get stops on the defensive end, we’re really tough in transition.”
The River Lions last played May 16 and the time off proved to be beneficial.
“We gave the guys a couple of days off and a couple of days of optional workouts and then we got after it with two full days of practice and skill workouts,” Raso said. “Our younger guys want to be in the gym every day, and a lot of that is skill development, and our older guys need more time to recover.
“It was nice to have a little bit of time off and every week we will have at least two days off, sometimes a little bit more.”
The River Lions host the Fraser Valley Bandits Friday, May 31 at 7 p.m.