River Lions best Blackjacks 94-91, clinch CEBL Championship Weekend berth

The last game at the Meridian Centre for the Niagara River Lions 2024 season may be one of the most memorable in the franchise’s history.

The River Lions, hosting the Ottawa Blackjacks in a CEBL quarterfinal matchup, got out to an early lead before the Blackjacks would storm back and lead much of the second half.

The Blackjacks would extend their lead to 10 points at the end of the 3rd quarter, with the crowd watching nervously. A stoppage late in the fourth quarter saw the target score set at 94 points, with the Blackjacks leading 85-81. Niagara would storm back, in front of a record home crowd attendance of 4004, to take a 92-91 lead with possession of the ball.

Following a timeout by Head Coach Victor Raso, the River Lions ran an alley-oop play to Khalil Ahmad for the game winner – defeating the Blackjacks 94-91, and sending thousands of rowdy hoops fans home with a smile on their face. Ahmad finished the game with 23 points, 8 assists and 6 steals. Other notable scorers for Niagara included Jahvon Blair, who poured in 22 of his own and Nathan Cayo, who scored 17. The Blackjacks were led by Shamar Givance, who scored 19 points off the bench.

With the victory, Niagara finishes their season at the Meridian Centre a perfect 11-0 (10-0 in the regular season), and will now travel to Montreal for CEBL Championship Weekend. The River Lions will play host Montreal Alliance of Friday, August 9th at 8:00pm. Games can be streamed on CEBL+, while television details are yet to be announced. The winner of Niagara vs. Montreal will play the winner of Vancouver (#1 seed in the West) vs. the winner of Calgary/Edmonton on August 11th.

(Written by: Matt Latour)