River Lions gut it out
How good are you on your worst day?
For the Niagara River Lions Friday night in the Canadian Elite Basketball League semifinals against the host Montreal Alliance, the answer was good enough to win the game 78-75 in Target Time on a deep three by Khalil Ahmad.
“That was instilled in me at Carleton and that is what we talk about here all the time,” River Lions head coach/GM Victor Raso said. “To be championship calibre, how good are you when you can’t make shots? How good are you when it’s your worst day offensively? Can you still do the things necessary to win the game?
The answer was yes.
“We gutted it out, we defended and we rebounded really, really well. We did our best to give ourselves a chance and then in Target Time, Khalil is unbelievable,” Raso said. “But we went to the boards really well. TJ (Lall) had a rough offensive game and then he went and got big and one and Omari got a big and one. We found a way because this group is very, very tough.”
The worst part of Niagara’s game against Montreal came from the free throw line and beyond the arc.
“We missed 27 threes and 13 free throws and we still won the game. That is tough to do and it is tough to win a game when you shoot that poorly,” he said. “But credit to these guys. They are tough as nails.”
It was a great showing of perseverance but it’s safe to say a shooting performance like that will be fatal in Sunday’s championship game versus the Vancouver Bandits.
“We are going to have to shoot the ball better and every game is different. But how good you are on your worst day is important and on your best day you can be a really good basketball team,” Raso said. “It is a whole different can of worms playing Vancouver. Obviously they are not the home team but they present much different problems. They are very talented and they are huge. They are a really good basketball team and it is going to be a tough one.”
Raso will be working on a game plan to beat Vancouver.
“Honestly, I need to go and figure that out and look at it because I have been so focused on Montreal. But we are going to have to rebound incredibly well. That’s No. 1. We are going to have to defend well, we have to understand their personnel, we have to do a better job of attacking specific guys effectively and making the shots that we take.”
Niagara will be making its second appearance in the championship game in five Final Four appearances but Raso won’t be taking any lessons from the championship loss to Edmonton in 2021.
“That game against Edmonton we were decimated. We had two weeks off because a bunch of guys had COVID and they all showed up the day of the game. We had won an emotional game where guys were absolutely gassed. We had no legs and then we ran into a buzzsaw against Edmonton at home. They might have been the best CEBL team ever.”
But Raso does have plenty of experience to help his team out.
“All the playoff games are kind of the same and I have used a lot of experiences from my past to make sure I am better for these guys. I am much calmer, I’m being what they need, I am not getting caught up in the moment, I am giving these guys good, thoughtful feedback over the course of the game and making sure my mentality is in the right spot.”
Raso is thrilled to be contesting a CEBL championship.
“It’s great to be here and now we’ve got a chance.”
STATS PACK
River Lions 78 Alliance 75
BPSN Player of the Game: Niagara’s Khalil Ahmad with a playoff franchise record of 31 points and 10 points.
For the Niagara River Lions: Ahmad 31; Nathan Cayo 15; Omari Moore with nine points and 13 rebounds;
For the Montreal Alliance: Ahmed Hill 14; Alain Louis 12; Chris Smith 11; Jordan Bowden 10.
Game stats: Shooting percentage: Niagara 39, Montreal 39. Free throws: Niagara 16-29, Montreal 15-19. Rebounds: Niagara 51, Montreal 41. Turnovers: Niagara 13, Montreal 11.
Up next: Niagara advances to the championship game Sunday at 6 p.m. in Montreal.
