A sensational third quarter run helped the Niagara River Lions (4-3) pull back into the game and grind out a 71-68 victory over the Hamilton Honey Badgers (6-3) in front of fans on Saturday night at the Meridian Centre.

After suffering crushing losses in their recent games, the opening quarter saw both squads experience unexpected sluggish starts as they weathered major struggles. The River Lions shot 1-18 from the field in the first quarter while the Honey Badgers struggled to take care of the ball, committing 7 turnovers in the opening minutes. Despite this, Hamilton was able to go on a 19-3 run to close out the first.

After noticing a slow start from his starters, Honey Badgers Head Coach Ryan Schmidt turned to his bench for a much-needed spark in the second quarter. The Hamilton bench responded with 34 points courtesy of Kenny Ejim (12 points) and Alex Johnson (8 points) and Cody John (14 points).

John was an offensive catalyst off the bench, shooting 62 per cent from the field. The Toronto, ON native proved to once again be a bright spot for the Honey Badgers when needed. Showing shades of his memorable early-season performance against Guelph, John was also able to put on a defensive showcase in the game’s pivotal moments.

After heading into halftime down by 14, the River Lions entered the third quarter with new life, going on a 14 -4 run to trim the lead to down to just four halfway through the third. Led by key pieces off the bench such as Grant Shephard (9 points), Olu Ashaolu (9 points) and starter Jaylen Babb-Harrison (13 points), Niagara was able to score 29 points in the third to enter the fourth quarter only down by three.

Although experiencing his poorest shooting performance of the season, Xavier Sneed managed pick things up in the second half to finish with 13 points on 19 per cent shooting after going 1-11 from the field in first half.

However, Niagara’s third quarter barrage was led by former Duke Blue Devil Javin DeLaurier, who finished with an impressive double-double, recording a game-high 17 points and 17 rebounds, while successfully managing to defend the rim with four blocks

Entering the Elam Ending with a two point lead, the River Lions overcame one final surge by the Honey Badgers that saw contributions from Trevon Duval (13 points), Kalif Young (8 points) and Lindell Wigginton (8 points). Similarly, to Sneed, Wigginton experienced a plethora of shooting woes, going 3-11 from the field and recording only 3 points before heading into Elam time.

With the target score set at 70, the closing moments of the contest saw both teams trade the leads before the River Lions pulled ahead to a 69-66 lead. A miraculous steal by Ejim followed by a contested lay-up by Wigginton set the stage for a sudden-death finish. With Niagara needing only one bucket to win, it was Ajax, ON native Jaylen Babb-Harrison who secured the victory on a running floater.

Despite dropping back to back games for the first time this season, the Honey Badgers don’t need to panic as they’ve already clinched a berth in 2021 CEBL playoffs. However, any losses going forward can hinder Hamilton’s chances of securing a heavily coveted a first round bye that is accompanied by a direct ticket to the 2021 Championship Weekend Semifinals.

Currently sitting at .500, the River Lions are now fourth in league standings. With eight more games remaining, and the anticipated arrival of Phil Scrubb edging closer, more eyes will be on Niagara in the second half of the season.

The River Lions will welcome the Saskatchewan Rattlers (0-8) to the Meridian Centre on July 20 at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Hamilton will return home to the FirstOntario Centre to host the Ottawa BlackJacks (3-5) on July 21 at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Fans are now welcomed into all Ontario venues, and tickets for CEBL games are on sale now at ticketmaster.ca.

All CEBL games will be available for live streaming on the CEBL’s new OTT streaming service, CEBL+, cbcsports.ca, the free CBC Gem streaming service, the CBC Sports App for iOS and android devices, and on Twitch.

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