River Lions come back to edge Rattlers

The defending CEBL champs came back from an 11-point deficit to defeat the Saskatchewan Rattlers 88-86 in a defensive battle.

Niagara head coach Victor Raso said the defence stepped up late to allow the comeback.

“It just was ugly basketball, then we got really tough down the stretch,” Raso said. “But we have to stop doing this because two of our wins are in these kinds of situations.”

Raso praised his team’s grittiness, but emphasized the need for improvement.

“We need to get home and we need to practice. We have had one practice as a group and we rode some momentum early, but we're not playing great basketball right now,” Raso said.

Four River Lions reached double figures in the win, and every player who saw the floor got on the scoresheet.

Curry and Kimbal Mackenzie led the charge with 15 points each, while Ahmed Hill and Gatluak James added 11.

Mackenzie said defence down the stretch made all the difference.

“We dug in, we were able to get some stops and finish them with a rebound. And I think the game opened up a little bit,” he said.

While the Niagara bench outscored Saskatchewan’s 31-3, the Rattlers’ starters showed their prowess.

Saskatchewan guard Nate Pierre-Louis flirted with a triple-double again, tallying a game-high 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Jamir Chaplin and Grant Anticevich netted 24 and 16 points, respectively.

Meanwhile, Regina native Isaac Simon picked up his first start in the CEBL and contributed on both ends for Saskatchewan with 10 points and two steals.

“It's pretty cool, man. I've been here the last two summers, and I've been working really hard. So now that I get to contribute in a different way – whether on the court starting or coming off the bench – I'll do whatever I can to help us win,” Simon said.

Simon says the team is becoming battle-tested, but it’s the little details that will get them over the hump to pick up their first win.

“I think we just got to keep our head down and keep going, just knowing that we're capable and a win’s on the horizon,” he said.

Saskatchewan head coach Eric Magdanz was happy with the way the team competed, but said the group needs to be more organized late in games.

“I think we wanted to win it so bad that we got a little bit isolation-heavy. So we're going to work on putting some stuff in and making sure that we have some end-of-game scenarios to make sure that the ball continues to move,” he said.

In the first quarter, Niagara and Saskatchewan exchanged punches with four lead changes in the game's early stages.

The Rattlers welcomed big man Jaden Bediako into the lineup on Saturday, but he was forced to the bench midway through the quarter after picking up his third foul. The River Lions went on a 10-0 run after Bediako’s exit and carried a five-point lead into the second quarter.

Connor Vreeken was scorching hot off the bench for Niagara in the first half with three triples, including a pair early in the quarter to force a Magdanz timeout.

Pierre-Louis began to heat up for the Rattlers out of the timeout, leading the home team on a 9-0 run to make it a one-point game. It remained a close contest for the rest of the quarter, with Pierre-Louis tying it up with a mid-range jumper late to head into the locker room at 45-45.

Saskatchewan locked down defensively to begin the third quarter. The Rattlers regained the lead and forced the River Lions into over four minutes without a field goal. Guillaume Boucard stopped the dry spell for Niagara, but the Rattlers continued to assert themselves with an 11-2 run.

After Saskatchewan earned a 13-point cushion, Niagara fought back near the end of the frame to cut the deficit to single digits after three.

The Rattlers pushed the advantage back up to 11 early in the fourth, but some big finishes from Elijah Lufile, including a pair of and-one putbacks, cut the deficit to four heading into Target Score Time.

A three from Curry to kick off Target Time, in addition to an and-one from Boucard and free throws from Hill, gave Niagara its first lead since the second quarter.

Saskatchewan replied with big buckets from Chaplin and Simon, while Hill and Boucard made clutch plays for Niagara.

Both teams were one point away from victory when a shot clock violation from the Rattlers gave possession to the River Lions. Curry made no mistake, hitting a contested stepback jumper to earn the win for Niagara.

The River Lions are now the first franchise in CEBL history to hit 75 wins.