Moore’s triple-double lifts River Lions over Alliance

Omari Moore erupts for the first triple-double of the 2024 CEBL season as the Niagara River Lions (4-2) defeat the Montreal Alliance (2-5), 94-80.

Moore was all over the stat sheet tonight, scoring 16 points on 50 per cent shooting, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists. He also added five steals and three blocked shots in the win.

“I think I came out pretty aggressive today, I kind of wanted to make a point of that,” Moore said about his performance tonight. “I was able to find my teammates pretty early, get some stuff going down hill and was able to make shots. Overall, I think it was a solid performance.” 

Jahvon Blair also made an impact with 21 points on 46 per cent shooting, knocking down four threes, snagged five rebounds and adding three assists.

Despite the loss, Montreal’s Ahmed Hill had a fantastic game. Hill scored 19 points on 46 per cent shooting, while also grabbing two rebounds and dishing two assists. 

The teams went at each other throughout the first trading buckets in the early going. The River Lions built a 24-20 lead at the end of the first quarter on Blair’s nine points on 75 per cent shooting. 

Blair knows how important his consistency on the offensive end is to this team. 

“I was telling myself that before this game started, stay consistent, keep my shot going,” Blair said. “Keep the flow going, but not rushing anything, or forcing anything. It’s really with my teammates finding me and my coach trusting me.” 

The River Lions rode their momentum into the second, executing on both offence and defence. Niagara locked up on defence, holding Montreal to 33 per cent from the field, and 23 per cent from three to end the first half leading 48-35.

Niagara head coach Victor Raso spoke after the game on how he prepares the team defensively each game. 

“We are very strict on our defensive fundamentals and how we handle actions,” Raso said. “We work on them every day. Coach Troy Stevenson has been an excellent defensive coach. These guys have really allowed us to coach them more than teams I've had in the past. I can coach them pretty hard, and they’ll be quite responsive to it.” 

After being outscored 29-15 in the third quarter, the Alliance made a fourth-quarter push, ending the frame with a 30-17 advantage but ultimately falling 94-80.