River Lions beat Bandits in 97-95 thriller to net first CEBL championship

MONTREAL — The Niagara River Lions are Canadian Elite Basketball League champions — finally.

Led by Nathan Cayo (25 points) and Khalil Ahmad (23 points), the Eastern Conference champions edged the Vancouver Bandits 97-95 on Sunday at Verdun Auditorium to win their first league title since joining the league in 2019 as an original six squad.

Aaryn Rai scored 15 points off the bench and Loudon Love chipped in with 10 points.

The final live up to the hype as two 14-and-6 teams were tied 95-95 in Target Time with the next point(s) winning the title, which came courtesy of Ahmad.

The Bandits’ offence shot out of the gates in the game’s early minutes, but the River Lions adjusted and led 23-20 after the first quarter. Vancouver led 46-44 at halftime but Niagara outscore their rivals 27-16 in the third quarter to grab control.

Mitch Creek led the Western Conference champion Bandits with 26 points and 13 rebounds while Koby Mcewen chipped in with 17. Nick Ward had 13 points off the bench for the Bandits.

The River Lions advanced to Sunday’s final with a thrilling 78-75 win over the host Montreal Alliance, while the Bandits defeated the Calgary Surge 89-87.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press