Hill hits major milestone as River Lions down Alliance

It was a momentous return to Montreal for Ahmed Hill and the Niagara River Lions.

Hill, the former Alliance member, scored 12 points to become the first player to pass the 1,500-point plateau in league history (including playoffs), and the River Lions won 77-73 on Sunday at Verdun Auditorium — the site of their championship victory last season.

The win marked a second straight for East-leading Niagara (9-5), while Montreal dropped under .500 at 6-7 with the loss.

“It was just a war. It felt like a playoff game a little bit,” River Lions head coach Victor Raso said of a game in which the teams combined to shoot just 21 per cent from beyond the arc and 60 per cent from the free-throw line.

After the River Lions controlled much of the contest, building an 11-point lead, a spirited Alliance comeback gave the home side a one-point advantage at the 5:16 mark.

But the Verdun frenzy was short-lived as the River Lions responded with an 8-0 run. When the clock turned off for Target Score Time, Niagara led 68-61.

The Alliance tightened their deficit to as little as three, but a raft of missed free throws prevented them from getting any closer.

In the end, the game ended the same way Niagara’s last Montreal contest — the 2024 Finals — did, as Khalil Ahmad nailed the game-winner, this time from the free-throw line.

Raso said the win wasn’t necessarily a pretty one.

“It just became a slugfest. We did not shoot the ball well from three, but a couple guys stepped up,” he said.

For Hill — the CEBL’s all-time leading scorer — it was a milestone night in one of the CEBL cities he once called home.

The 30-year-old from Fort Valley, Ga., was competing in his 90th career game, which ranks third all-time and first among international players.

Hill joined the CEBL in 2021 and spent two seasons with the Guelph Nighthawks before moving to Montreal for two more.

He’s now in his first season as a River Lion, where he joined the reigning champions in search of his first career title. On Sunday, he came off the bench for the second straight game, making four of 10 field-goal attempts.

“Truly blessed to be on a couple teams with great coaches, great teammates, who let me be me and shine,” Hill said. “Credit to everybody I played with and the organizations. And shout out to the CEBL.”

Montreal native Nathan Cayo paced the River Lions in his hometown, scoring 18 points to go with six rebounds.

Ron Curry, who recently returned to Niagara after a five-game absence, added 16 points, six rebounds and four assists. Forward Eddie Ekiyor contributed 12 points and eight rebounds.

Meanwhile, it was a strangely quiet night for reigning Finals MVP and River Lions leading scorer Ahmad, who struggled with his shot en route to just six points on one-for-10 shooting. He also had seven assists.

Still, his teammates picked up the slack.

“It’s becoming not always about Khalil. We have guys who can make plays, we have guys who can score. We haven’t had guys healthy to do that for a while so for Khalil it’s kind of reassuring that he doesn’t have to score the ball as much,” Raso said.

For a short-handed Montreal squad, a strong start fizzled quickly as the offence went dry.

The Alliance made just six of 27 three-point attempts (22 per cent) and 19 of 31 free-throw tries (61 per cent) overall.

Still, head coach Jermaine Small said he was proud of his team’s resolve.

“You miss all those free throws, I’m a little bit frustrated about that, but I’m proud of the effort overall,” Small said. 

Leading scorer Tavian Dunn-Martin missed the game with an injury, while forwards O.D. Anosike and Michael Diggins Jr. were also absent.

In their place, Canadian Quincy Guerrier — in his last game with the team before heading to NBA Summer League with the Toronto Raptors — led the way with a whopping 19-point, 15-rebound double-double.

Day 1 Alliance member Alain Louis scored 15 points to go with five rebounds and five assists in the losing cause.

Guerrier said the missing players could have made a difference, but the team needed to adjust accordingly.

“I think defensively we were way better than the last four or five games. They’re a championship team, they’re a really good team. Our free-throw [misses] at the end, that was crucial,” he said.

NBA champion and Montreal native Luguentz Dort was in the house to take in the game between his hometown Alliance and the defending CEBL champions.

Montreal raced out of the gates with its game-opening 7-0 run and led 19-13 by the end of the first quarter.

But Niagara took control in the second frame as a 7-0 run of its own powered it to a 41-34 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, the River Lions stretched their lead to 11 and threatened to run away with things, but the Alliance cut their deficit back to six points entering the final frame.

After a tightly fought fourth quarter, it was the River Lions who, familiarly, emerged victorious in Montreal.

Up Next

Montreal visits the Calgary Surge on Wednesday, while Niagara returns home for a championship rematch against the Vancouver Bandits on Thursday.

Next CEBL Action

Players hit the court next on Wednesday, when the Brampton Honey Badgers host the Ottawa BlackJacks in addition to the Alliance-Surge contest.