River Lions Meet Shooting Stars in Battle of Previous Two Champions

(Preview: Eastern Conference Final)

Call it a tiebreaker of sorts.

When the Niagara River Lions meet the Scarborough Shooting Stars in Friday’s Eastern Conference Final, it will be a battle of the past two CEBL champions.

But only one will have the opportunity to become the second team in league history to hoist the trophy a second time.

Live coverage of the contest begins at 5 p.m. CDT / 6 p.m. ET from Winnipeg’s Canada Life Centre. You can watch on TSN, RDS, CEBL+, TSN+ and NLSE.

The similarities between the teams don’t end with their titles, either.

Both endured roller-coaster seasons of sorts, with the Shooting Stars exchanging winning and losing streaks only to arrive at 11-13 (third in the East) for the season, while the River Lions ended their season with five losses that immediately followed seven wins, finishing first in the East at 14-10.

The five losses were somewhat meaningless, since Niagara had already clinched. But the River Lions will have sat on that skid for 12 days by the time tip-off arrives — though they did get some live action in a closed scrimmage against Team Canada.

Still, Niagara seems loose as ever entering its first knockout game of the season, bringing a football out to each of its practices and tossing cross-court heaves before getting down to business. Practice ended with a half-court shooting contest, as is ritual.

Perhaps that laid-back attitude is one of the benefits of entering as the reigning champs. There are drawbacks too, though.

“It challenges you in many ways. If I think back to the years in the past, specifically last year, the hunger to write what we felt like we didn't the year before was just evident in every single thing we did. This year it just hasn't always been like that because the group is confident in themselves, they are experienced, they know how long of a season it is and what you want to get at the end,” head coach Victor Raso said.

Meanwhile, the Shooting Stars have already faced a pair of do-or-die games — and barely broke a sweat in either, taking leads of 18 and 26 points, respectively, into Target Score Time before beating the Montreal Alliance and Ottawa BlackJacks.

It’s the same path the Shooting Stars travelled en route to their 2023 title, when they won a play-in game at home and the East semi on the road in order to face Niagara in the conference final.

Head coach Mike De Giorgio was an assistant on that team.

“They have a lot of the same guys available. We don't, but we have guys and a lot of our staff have been around and been in that game and have that experience. So for the most part, that's something that we've been referencing with the players and they've really stepped up to the challenge lately,” De Giorgio said.

The River Lions and Shooting Stars split their four games this season, with only their first meeting in early June even being close.

Both have a level of championship experience, and they understand what it takes to win tight games, in Target Score Time, in the post-season.

Players to watch

While their journeys to Winnipeg were similar, the River Lions and Shooting Stars employ vastly different playing styles.

Scarborough boasts two of the top scorers in the league in Donovan Williams and Terquavion Smith, who have hardly let up in the playoffs, either, averaging 26 and 22 points per game, respectively. In many ways, the Shooting Stars go as their star duo goes — another 50 points combined in the East final would go a long way toward winning.

On the other hand, Niagara leans more on its depth, with a guard rotation that goes deep into the bench.

The head of that snake is Khalil Ahmad, the reigning Finals MVP. Ahmad is arguably the most clutch player in league history — he scored the game-winner in each of the River Lions’ three 2024 playoff victories and tied for fourth this season with four more.

Ahmed Hill, the league’s all-time leading scorer, is also searching for his first title after being eliminated by the River Lions as a member of the Montreal Alliance last season.

“Like they say, I got all the accolades, but I don’t have a ring. So that’s something that I want really bad. I’ve never won a championship before, so to do it with these guys would be amazing,” Hill said.

2025 CEBL Playoff Schedule

CW25 – Eastern Conference Final – Friday, Aug. 22 – SSS at NRL – 5 p.m. CDT / 6 p.m. ET – Canada Life Centre – Winnipeg, MB (TSN, RDS, CEBL+, TSN+, NLSE)

CW25 – Western Conference Final – Friday, Aug. 22 – WPG at CGY – 7:30 p.m. CDT / 6:30 p.m. MT / 8:30 p.m. ET – Canada Life Centre – Winnipeg, MB (TSN, RDS, CEBL+, TSN+, NLSE)

CW25 – CEBL Championship Final – Sunday, Aug. 24 – TBD at TBD – 6 p.m. CDT / 7 p.m. ET – Canada Life Centre – Winnipeg, MB (TSN, RDS, CEBL+, TSN+, NLSE)

For the full 2025 CEBL schedule, please visit cebl.ca/games.