River Lions Roar Past Alliance with Wild Target-Score Comeback

Down to their last gasp, the Niagara River Lions proved yet again why they are the defending champions.

The River Lions mounted an insane 10-0 game-ending run to stun the Montreal Alliance on Friday at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, Ont., roaring back to pull a 91-89 victory from the jaws of defeat.

Montreal — which trailed by 16 early — was two points away from a shocking comeback of its own but failed to convert on three consecutive possessions.

Instead, two-time Clutch Player of the Year Khalil Ahmad sparked yet another defining night for Niagara, which, somehow, earned its franchise record-tying sixth straight win.

“We just wanted it, simple as that. We buckled down on defence, we made shots on offence and we got the win,” Ahmad told sideline reporter Esfandiar Baraheni after the game.

The East-leading River Lions improved to 13-5 on the season. Montreal, which could have clinched a playoff spot with a win and a Brampton loss to Scarborough, fell to 7-10.

Meanwhile, Niagara’s dominance over Montreal marches on: the River Lions moved to 10-1 all-time against the Alliance, including an emphatic season series sweep this year.

Montreal seemed well on its way to a signature victory as it led 82-75 when the clock stopped for Target Score Time.

But River Lions star Khalil Ahmad responded with a fadeaway three-pointer from one corner to start the final phase of the game — then, after a Tavis Smith layup, he hit one from the other side of the court, too, to cut Niagara’s deficit to three.

“No words for it, honestly,” Ahmad said. “When Target Time starts, it's a different mode.”

As they had all game to that point, the Alliance punched back when a Smith steal and ensuing Quincy Guerrier layup put them four points away from victory.

Montreal eventually pulled within two, and an inspiring comeback win seemed all but settled.

Suddenly, though, the Alliance could not buy a basket. Meanwhile, an 8-0 River Lions run — an and-one from Ron Curry followed by another Ahmad triple and an Ahmed Hill dunk — put both teams within a bucket of victory.

Then, a Montreal turnover gifted Niagara the ball, and head coach Victor Raso called timeout.

Ahmad missed a three-point attempt, but Nathan Cayo collected the rebound and kicked to Hill, who darted to the rim, took contact and made a diving layup to clinch the win — and send the Alliance home stunned.

“Ahmed played off the catch and just had an awesome attack to the rim. I mean, Ahmed struggled a bit to start the game, but that's a good feeling, playing against his former team, doing that,” head coach Victor Raso said.

Raso said it was a “championship-calibre” win.

“There's a no-give-up mentality with these guys, and they just believe. They believe that they can win every game they've been in. Like, even when we weren't playing well early this year, there's never a given in Target Time. If they haven't hit the target, then these guys feel like they can win,” Raso said.

Meanwhile, Alliance head coach Jermaine Small said the loss was a continuation of Montreal’s woes throughout the year.

“We've been saying kind of the theme this year is we felt like they didn't beat us, we beat ourselves. But like I said, we don't have time to regret and stuff. We’ve got to get back on the bus,” Small said.

Ahmad paced the River Lions with 29 points — including nine in Target Time — to go with five rebounds and five assists.

Curry, who played a major part in the comeback on the defensive end, also contributed offensively with 19 points in addition to four rebounds and three assists.

Cayo was the only other River Lion to reach double-figure scoring, finishing the contest with 10 points, six rebounds and five assists.

The River Lions are now that much closer to booking their ticket to Winnipeg for Championship Weekend as the No. 1 seed in the East.

“We just got to keep chipping away. We're trying to get the first-overall seed, and that win goes a long way to doing that,” Raso said.

Starting Niagara guard and captain Kimbal Mackenzie missed the game.

The loss for Montreal could sting extra badly after it had ended an ugly seven-game skid with a win over the Ottawa BlackJacks two nights earlier.

Small said his team will rue its free-throw shooting. The Alliance shot just 10-for-20 from the charity stripe, including an 0-for-7 first half.

“We had our opportunity to win. They made a great comeback. I just kind of talked about [how] the free-throw shooting really, really hurt us. But, like I told our guys, you win or you learn, and there's a lot of growth,” Small said.

“No one’s going to feel sorry for us. Massive game Sunday [against the Scarborough Shooting Stars], so we got to prepare and shoot free throws tomorrow.”

The Alliance were led offensively by Smith, who found a second-half spark — including a third-quarter buzzer-beater — to finish with 19 points along with five assists and four steals.

Fellow reserve Michael Diggins Jr. poured in 17 points off the bench with five rebounds, while starter Brandon Porter added 11 points and six rebounds.

The River Lions roared to an early 10-0 lead to start the game, including seven points from Ahmad alone. Niagara held a 27-18 advantage after the first frame, but Montreal fought back to within six points at halftime.

Montreal then wrestled the lead away from Niagara in the third quarter, punctuated by the Smith triple to enter the fourth up 64-62.

A playoff-like atmosphere only intensified as the teams exchanged words midway through the fourth quarter when Curry got into Smith’s face after taking a reach-in foul. One technical foul and two unsportsmanlike penalties were handed out.

Then, the real madness ensued.

And by the time the final buzzer had sounded, CEBL order had been restored in a way. The River Lions, yet again, were back on top.

Box Score

https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600669

Up Next

Both teams return to action Sunday when Niagara visits the Brampton Honey Badgers while Montreal hosts the Shooting Stars.

Next CEBL Action

Just one game is on the docket for Saturday as the Saskatchewan Rattlers 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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