River Lions Punch Playoff Ticket with Comeback Win Over Honey Badgers

Step 1 of the Niagara River Lions’ championship defence is complete.

The River Lions clinched a playoff spot with a 97-79 win over the Brampton Honey Badgers on Wednesday at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, Ont.

It marked the fourth straight win for Niagara, which padded its lead atop the Eastern Conference at 11-5.

The Honey Badgers have now lost six straight to fall to 4-14.

Niagara has been in the playoffs every year since the CEBL’s inception.

“We wanna win the East. We wanna win the championship,” head coach Victor Raso said. “Our standards are much higher. We expect to make the playoffs.”

Niagara’s win was one of the comeback variety after trailing by 12 early in the second quarter.

But the River Lions showed championship resolve, chipping away in the second frame before taking over in the third.

Once Target Score Time rolled around, the River Lions led 87-67.

Niagara forward Elijah Lufile finished the game off with a putback layup.

“We didn’t start the game with the fight we needed, but we turned it around really quick and then the rest of the way we fought the way we needed to,” Raso said. 

With just one-third of the season remaining, the River Lions appear to be rounding into form at just the right time after a rocky start to the year.

Niagara has now held four of its last five opponents under 80 points, while offensively it is continuing to receive contributions from up and down the lineup.

Raso said increased defensive identity has led to the team’s run.

“We’re just finally playing well. … We talked about winning the game to infinity — play every game, every single possession like it doesn’t matter what happened before or after. Our team needs to keep doing that,” he said.

Leading scorer Khalil Ahmad paced the River Lions in the victory, putting up 24 points to go with eight assists and six rebounds.

Montreal native Nathan Cayo added 14 points and five rebounds, while Ron Curry pitched in with 13 points and five rebounds

Big man Elijah Lufile notched a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double off the bench.

Ahmad said the team isn’t simply satisfied with a playoff spot.

“It’s nice, but nowhere near close to the end goal. Nice little achievement to check a box, but we still got a lot more to do,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Honey Badgers’ playoff chances took another hit as they continue to sit in the basement of the Eastern Conference. 

Head coach Sheldon Cassimy said there are positives his team can take from the loss, but he wasn’t willing to look too far ahead.

“I think it’s just by focusing on each day. We focus on each day and getting better each day as a team and individual,” he said.

Canadian Marcus Carr led the way for the Honey Badgers with 20 points while also adding 10 assists and two rebounds.

David Muenkat got off to a hot start with three triples in the first quarter, but didn’t make another until Target Score Time and finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Longtime CEBLer Koby McEwen reached the 1,000-point mark for his regular-season career with a late three-pointer from the corner. He had 14 points and six assists for the game.

Carr said it’s important for Brampton to focus on the positives in order to bust its slump.

“Although obviously we didn’t get the result we wanted, we did do some good things out there so we have to try and build on that for the next game and then try to put it into ending the drought,” Carr said.

Former Canadian Player of the Year Kadre Gray was in the house to take in the contest.

The Honey Badgers burst out to a 26-17 lead after the first quarter, sparked by a trio of triples from Muenkat.

But after Brampton pushed its lead to 12 in the second frame, Niagara fought back to head into the locker rooms at halftime trailing just 39-37.

The River Lions then took control in the third quarter, winning the frame 34-13 to take a commanding 71-52 lead into the final 10 minutes.

Despite a brief scare early in the fourth, Niagara held on to cruise to victory.

Now, it knows it’s headed back to the playoffs. And another title is directly in sight.

Box Score

https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600643

Up Next

The River Lions host the Scarborough Shooting Stars on Sunday, while the Honey Badgers visit the Ottawa BlackJacks on Monday.

Next CEBL Action

A pair of Thursday games include the Edmonton Stingers heading to Ottawa while the Winnipeg Sea Bears welcome the Calgary Surge. For the full 2025 CEBL schedule and up-to-date results, please visit cebl.ca/games.

- CEBL –