River Lions defeat Bandits to capture first CEBL championship in franchise history

MONTREAL — The Niagara River Lions are kings of the Canadian Elite Basketball League jungle.

In a championship weekend not for the faint-hearted, the River Lions found the most dramatic way possible to claim their first-ever title at Verdun Auditorium.

After blowing an 87-77 lead in Target Score Time, Mr. Clutch — a.k.a. Khalil Ahmad — scored the golden basket that lifted the River Lions to a 97-95 win over the resilient Vancouver Bandits.

"I can't even put it into words," said Ahmad, whose last-second heroics helped the champions beat the host Montreal Alliance 78-75 in Friday's Eastern Conference final. "This is my third summer here trying to get a chip and we finally get it done."

Ahmad, who scored the game-winner when he beat two defenders down the lane and rattle home a floater, added: "That's the biggest bucket of my life for sure."

Nathan Cayo had 25 points and eight rebounds, while Ahmad finished with 23 points and four assists for the River Lions, who joined 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 River Lions have made the CEBL playoffs every year and reached the final in 2021. The Bandits have only missed the post-season once and made it to the finals in 2020.

"This organization has been elite in the CEBL, but we never had the validation of a championship," said River Lions head coach Victor Raso. "We just really needed this as an organization."

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 outscored their rivals 27-16 in the third quarter to grab control.

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

"When you put yourself into a position where you have to fight back, it's really hard to repeatedly do that," said Creek. "Some of us might have to go to the casino and roll a few dice tonight and try to win back some of the emotions.

" … This loss was sad, hard and tough. You watch them (River Lions) cheer and chant and carry on like a pack of idiots just like we would as Bandits. You almost enjoy watching someone else win because you know at some point you're going to get that opportunity."

Creek said the Bandits' locker room was silent for 10 minutes after the painful loss before head coach Kyle Julius said something he would not share with reporters.

The Bandits advanced to Sunday's final with a thrilling 89-87 victory over the Calgary Surge on Friday. The Surge missed an open layup in Target Score Time that would have given them the win.

THROW-INS: The Langley, B.C.-based Bandits had two watch parties over the weekend and there were hundreds of fans on Sunday screaming in front of the TVs in the Barley Merchant pub-restaurant. For a few moments it seemed like their Bandits would pull off the biggest Target Score Time in CEBL history.

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