River Lions put perfect home record to test in East semifinal against soaring BlackJacks

For weeks now, it’s seemed a foregone conclusion that the Niagara River Lions would host the Eastern Conference Semifinal.

That they’d be facing the Ottawa BlackJacks in that game was unexpected. Yet here we are.

The River Lions and BlackJacks will square off on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET at Meridian Centre with a ticket to Montreal for Championship Weekend on the line. Broadcast coverage of the game is available on TSN and Next Level Sports & Entertainment, while you can live stream the contest on CEBL+, TSN+ and Courtside 1891.

After a 4-3 start to the season, Niagara cemented itself as the best team in the East, winning all 10 of its home games en route to a 14-6 record.

Meanwhile, Ottawa scuffled out of the gates with a 1-5 start but turned things around in the second half as reinforcements arrived. Eventually, Ottawa edged out Brampton for the conference’s final playoff spot.

The final two games of the River Lions’ season were a split against the BlackJacks. Though they held no significance in the standings, they still served as a solid measuring stick.

And it turns out the teams are fairly even. Ottawa took the first game in a high-scoring 122-113 affair, while Niagara won the second, 109-97.

Sunday will mark the first CEBL playoff game in River Lions history in front of their home crowd. The postseason mainstays have competed in seven playoff games since the league’s inception in 2019, including five at a Championship Weekend neutral site, one road game in Guelph and a 2020 Summer Serries game at Meridian Centre with no fans.

“We need to be fearless going down the stretch here, knowing that everybody's talking about us being 10-0 at home, always having great regular seasons and not having won a championship. So we need to earn the confidence to play fearless, aggressive basketball,” River Lions head coach Victor Raso said.

Meanwhile, Ottawa may feel like it’s playing with house money after stunning defending champion Scarborough on the road on Friday.

The BlackJacks showed a relentless offensive rim attack in that victory, led by Isaih Moore’s 22-point, 10-rebound double-double.

But Ottawa’s basis for success is its defence, led at the point of attack by Defensive Player of the Year candidate Lloyd Pandi.

“Even though I’m up for the award it’s really a testament of our team,” Pandi said after the game.

Every playoff game in the CEBL is full of pressure.

But in this case, it appears to mainly lie on the side of the River Lions while a freed-up BlackJacks squad looks to continue its Cinderella run in Montreal.

Neither team has ever won a CEBL Championship. Only one will get the chance to change that.

Key matchup

One of Niagara’s best players is two-time Clutch Player of the Year Khalil Ahmad.

But while Ahmad, the all-time leader in Target Score Winners, has consistently come up big in the regular season, his teams have fallen short in the playoffs in each of the past two years.

Now, he’ll have Pandi in his way as he attempts to lift at least some of the monkey off his shoulder. 

Ahmad averaged 19 points and 5.5 assists during the regular season, but also turned the ball over more than three times per game. 

Pandi, meanwhile, set the CEBL’s single-season steals record. His 44 swipes were 14 more than the second-place player and equivalent to the gap between second and 16th.

If Niagara gets into its offence, it could be tough to beat. But Ottawa can also slow the game to a grind.

The battle between Ahmad and Pandi could decide the pace — and, ultimately, the result.

Milestone watch

• 
  Ottawa’s Deng Adel needs one assist to reach 200 for his career, including playoffs
• Ottawa’s Pandi needs four steals to reach 100 for his career, including playoffs
• Niagara’s Kimbal Mackenzie needs nine points to reach 500 for his career, including playoffs
• Niagara’s Nathan Cayo needs two steals to reach 50 for his career, including playoffs
• Niagara’s Ahmad needs four three-pointer to reach 100 for his career, including playoffs

- CEBL -

About the CEBL

A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 10 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN, TSN+, RDS, Game+, Next Level Sports & Entertainment and Courtside1891. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.