The Niagara River Lions are kings of the Canadian Elite Basketball League jungle.
In a championship weekend not for the faint-hearted, the River Lions discovered essentially the most dramatic method doable to say their first-ever title at Verdun Auditorium.
After blowing an 87-77 lead in Goal Rating Time, Mr. Clutch — a.okay.a. Khalil Ahmad — scored the golden basket that lifted the River Lions to a 97-95 win over the resilient Vancouver Bandits.
“I can’t even put it into phrases,” mentioned Ahmad, whose last-second heroics helped the champions beat the host Montreal Alliance 78-75 in Friday’s Japanese Convention closing. “That is my third summer season right here making an attempt to get a chip and we lastly get it performed.”
Ahmad, who scored the game-winner when he beat two defenders down the lane and rattle dwelling a floater, added: “That’s the most important bucket of my life for certain.”
Nathan Cayo had 25 factors and eight rebounds, whereas Ahmad completed with 23 factors and 4 assists for the River Lions, who joined the league in 2019 as an unique six squad.
Aaryn Rai scored 15 factors off the bench and Loudon Love chipped in with 10 factors.
The River Lions have made the CEBL playoffs yearly and reached the ultimate in 2021. The Bandits have solely missed the post-season as soon as and made it to the finals in 2020.
“This group has been elite within the CEBL, however we by no means had the validation of a championship,” mentioned River Lions head coach Victor Raso. “We simply actually wanted this as a corporation.”
The Bandits’ offence shot out of the gates within the sport’s early minutes, however the River Lions adjusted and led 23-20 after the primary quarter. Vancouver led 46-44 at halftime however Niagara outscored their rivals 27-16 within the third quarter to seize management.
Mitch Creek led the Western Convention champion Bandits with a game-high 26 factors and 13 rebounds, whereas Koby Mcewen chipped in with 17. Nick Ward had 13 factors off the bench for the Bandits.
“Once you put your self right into a place the place it’s important to struggle again, it’s actually onerous to repeatedly try this,” mentioned Creek. “A few of us might need to go to the on line casino and roll just a few cube tonight and attempt to win again a number of the feelings.
” … This loss was unhappy, onerous and hard. You watch them (River Lions) cheer and chant and keep it up like a pack of idiots identical to we might as Bandits. You nearly get pleasure from watching another person win as a result of you understand in some unspecified time in the future you’re going to get that chance.”
Creek mentioned the Bandits’ locker room was silent for 10 minutes after the painful loss earlier than head coach Kyle Julius mentioned one thing he wouldn’t share with reporters.
The Bandits superior to Sunday’s closing with an exciting 89-87 victory over the Calgary Surge on Friday. The Surge missed an open layup in Goal Rating Time that might have given them the win.
THROW-INS: The Langley, B.C.-based Bandits had two watch events over the weekend and there have been a whole bunch of followers on Sunday screaming in entrance of the TVs within the Barley Service provider pub-restaurant. For just a few moments it appeared like their Bandits would pull off the most important Goal Rating Time in CEBL historical past.
