August 9, 2024
The Niagara River Lions are Eastern Conference champions
The second game of the Conference finals double-header saw the Niagara River Lions and the Montreal Alliance square off at the Verdun Auditorium.
Just prior, the Vancouver Bandits had defeated a determined and hard pressing Calgary Surge team, spending much of the game on their heels trying desperately to fend off the Surge who came within a single bucket of upsetting the Bandits – and in turn, that is the sort of performance the Alliance would need tonight against the River Lions.
See Also: The Vancouver Bandits are Western Conference champions
In their last meeting on this court, the River Lions mauled the Alliance mercilessly in perhaps the worst showing the Alliance had all season long.
The first quarter was a low-scoring affair where both teams seemed poised to wait for the over to commit and make mistakes – a game of cat and mouse. Once it became evident that neither team was going to budge, the game broke open and a solid back and fourth game emerged. Both teams took leads that constantly switched as neither were willing to give up. Montreal might have been the underdog coming into the contest against one of the leagues best. Bookends. But judging by the play of the court, you would never have guessed that.
The Niagara River Lions were without star Jahvon Blair, who has reported to his team in France and won’t be available to the River Lions again this season.
The River Lions, however, did have their biggest weapon and while Khalil Ahmad was quite to start the match, he slowly warmed up and by the time the game was on the line, was again the key factor in the match, much the way he had been as he also scored the points that got the River Lions to this game against the Ottawa Black Jacks.
“It’s taking me back to playing 21 with your friends, next point wins kind of thing,” Ahmad said. “But shout out to my teammates, because they carried me throughout the whole game. I was shooting terribly, missing free throws, et cetera, but they were giving me confidence, making big plays.”
Ahmad seems to know when to turn it up, and like clockwork – when it matter most, he was on fire. A game changer and the key to the Niagara River Lion’s victory tonight.
“He’s playing incredible basketball right now. You could tell from the start of the game, he is incredibly engaged and when the game is on the line, man, there’s not a secret to it. He’s an incredible athlete who is very, very well-trained, he takes his craft seriously and he has the ultimate confidence in himself,” River Lions head coach Victor Raso said. “And he just does it. He makes us look good.”
Late in the fourth quarter, Montreal led the River Lions by seven points, but Niagara stormed back, knocking down five straight points and dragging themselves back into a game that, on paper, they should have won easily. All season long, the Alliance have shown resilience
The underdog Montreal Alliance were so very close to proving what their coach, Derrick Alston Sr. has been telling them all year long; that they’re good enough. The game, tied at 75 points a piece with a target score of 78 set, came down to the next bucket, and unfortunately for the Alliance, they never got the chance to seal the deal, as Khalil Ahmad swished home a perfect three-point shot, crushing Montreal’s dream and sending Niagara to the finals to face the Vancouver Bandits.
“We gave them a run for their money. It sucks that it didn’t turn out our way especially at home, crowd was great. You just feel sad,” said Alston Sr.
The good news for Montreal is that their last three games were by far their best of the season, where everything they’ve been working towards came together and the puzzle pieces now make a lot more sense. While it is hard to lose, sometimes you have to do so in order to learn how to win – the Alliance now have a solid foundation to build upon for next season, and a taste of the play-offs to aspire to.
Read More:
>> Montreal Alliance defeated the Saskatchewan Rattlers at home
>> Montreal Alliance defeat Winnipeg Sea Bears at home
>> Alliance slaughtered at home by River Lions
At the end of the day, the leagues two best teams are left standing and that is probably how the weekend should have gone. However, we came within a whisker of not one but two major upsets that could have seen a war of underdogs going down for the trophy. No matter where these four teams had finished in the regular season standings; the fans at the Verdun auditorium were treated to two great games tonight – and some of the best basketball the season has had to offer so far.
The CEBL championship finals will take place on Sunday at the Verdun Auditorium, as CW24 weekend concludes with a match-up between the Niagara River Lions and the Vancouver Bandits.
