River Lions Expand Lead Atop East with Victory Over Shooting Stars
The Niagara River Lions have their eyes on a trip to Winnipeg for Championship Weekend.
They can feel safer thinking about booking those flights now as the defending champions cruised past the Scarborough Shooting Stars 96-81 on Sunday at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, Ont.
The River Lions expanded their lead atop the East to four games over the Shooting Stars with the victory. The 7-8 Ottawa BlackJacks remain 3.5 games back of the conference leaders.
Niagara now sits at 12-5 following its fifth straight win, while Scarborough fell to 8-9.
Head coach Victor Raso said the team had to go through the mud early in the season — including a pair of blowout losses to Scarborough and the Brampton Honey Badgers — to get to the point it’s at now.
“You have to earn the belief back. And I think we're doing that now. We're connected on the defensive end. We're connected on the offensive end. Our quality of shots have gone up a lot. We turned the ball over way too much tonight, but we just kind of figured out our rotations where guys should be in and we're playing much better now,” he said.
The River Lions’ latest victory was hardly ever in doubt.
After a closely contested first quarter — which still ended in a five-point advantage for Niagara — the River Lions stretched their lead to 21 points by halftime.
When the clock turned off for Target Score Time in the fourth, Niagara led 87-66.
The Shooting Stars scratched and clawed to cut their deficit to 12 points, but River Lions guard Ron Curry closed things out with a free throw.
“We’re just starting to figure out what our identity is, and we're starting to put it together a little bit. Everybody's playing to their potential, and we're starting to look better as a team,” Curry said.
With the win, Niagara closed in on the East’s top seed — which comes with a bye to the semifinals and a guaranteed trip to Championship Weekend.
The River Lions have never missed the playoffs in the CEBL’s existence. They’re now seeking to become the second team ever to go back-to-back.
On Sunday, Ron Curry sparked the River Lions attack with an early flurry of three-pointers that created separation from Scarborough.
Curry drilled three three-pointers in the first quarter and finished with 22 points, four rebounds and two assists.
“Ron is a really good basketball player. If Ron never tore his ACL, he probably wouldn't be in the CEBL. But he's tough, and he's a shotmaker. And I'm glad he's on our team,” Raso said.
While Curry feasted from beyond the arc, Khalil Ahmad lived at the free-throw line. Niagara’s leading scorer made 11 of 12 attempts from the charity stripe on the way to 23 points to go with four rebounds and two assists.
Like Curry, River Lions captain Kimbal Mackenzie nailed three treys. He scored 16 points in all, adding six rebounds and six assists.
“We’re locked in now,” said forward Eddie Ekiyor, who had 12 points and nine rebounds. “We’re doing pretty good. We gotta keep it going.”
Scarborough, meanwhile, now has its work cut out as it continues to fight for playoff positioning.
The Shooting Stars suddenly sit third in the conference after being limited to just 29 first-half points against Niagara.
For the game, the Shooting Stars committed 15 turnovers and made just 27 per cent of their three-point attempts.
Head coach Mike De Giorgio said the team’s first half was “terrible.”
“We didn't win enough 50-50 balls. We gave up 18 offensive rebounds. That was No. 1 on the scale. We had to match their effort, had to match their intensity, and we came out a little bit flat. And I think just our message here to the guys is just staying together for the full game. I think how we respond to adversity is very important for us,” De Giorgio said.
Terquavion Smith, who entered the game second in leaguewide scoring, put up 22 points to lead the way for Scarborough while also pitching in four steals and three assists.
Cat Barber scored 15 points to become the second player in league history to reach the 1,500-point plateau for his career, including playoffs. River Lions guard Ahmed Hill is the only other player to accomplish the feat.
All of Barber’s points came in the second half.
Aaron Best made his season debut for the Shooting Stars after signing earlier on Sunday. The Scarborough native nearly posted a double-double with 11 points and eight rebounds.
“It’s always fun playing at home,” Best said.
Scarborough was missing four players due to NBA Summer League including star scorer Donovan Williams and big man Hason Ward.
“I think overall we just needed to play better. And that's something we'll keep working on we as we go towards our next game,” De Giorgio said.
The Shooting Stars made a run at a comeback in the third quarter, closing to within 12 points, but the River Lions punched back with a four-point play by Ahmad and a three-pointer from Mackenzie.
By the end of the frame, the River Lions were back up 70-51. In Target Time, despite some testy moments, the result never truly came into question.
Now, Niagara has a different lead to hold onto — its grip atop the Eastern Conference.
Box Score
https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600654
Up Next
Both teams are back in action Friday as the River Lions host the Montreal Alliance and the Shooting Stars visit the Brampton Honey Badgers.
Next CEBL Action
Just one game is on the docket for Monday as the Honey Badgers head to Ottawa to take on the BlackJacks. For the full 2025 CEBL schedule and up-to-date results, please visit cebl.ca/games.
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