Final summer standings:
E (5): Niagara River Lions (14-6); Scarborough Shooting Stars (12-8); Ottawa BlackJacks (9-11); Brampton Honey Badgers (6-14); Montreal Alliance (6-14)
W (5): Vancouver Bandits (14-6); Edmonton Stingers (13-7); Calgary Surge (11-9); Winnipeg Sea Bears (9-11); Saskatchewan Rattlers (6-14)
CEBL stats and amorphous rosters
CEBL rosters must include:
Minimum 6 Canadians per roster
Mandatory 1 Development Player OR 1 International (non-American and non-Canadian) per roster
Maximum 3 Americans per roster
10 players per game day roster
Up to 4 practice reserves per team roster
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Brampton Honey Badgers (end of season roster): Elijah Mitrou-Long (Mississauga, Ont.), L.J. Thorpe (West Palm Beach, Fla.), David Walker (Toronto, Ont.), Jabs Newby (Brampton, Ont.), Prince Oduro (Toronto, Ont.), Yaw Obeng-Mensah (Toronto, Ont.), Callum Baker (Oakville, Ont.), Michael Okafor (Toronto, Ont.), Shamiel Stevenson (Toronto, Ont.), Cole Syllas (Kingston, Ont.), Zane Waterman (Winston-Salem, NC), Brandon McCoy (Chicago, Ill.), Petros Melissaratos (Athens, Greece), Ayub Nurhussien (Hamilton, Ont.), Jevon Brown (Toronto, Ont.), Lincoln Rosebush (Guelph, Ont.), Akeem Clarke (Toronto, Ont.), coach & assistant general manager Sheldon Cassimy, general manager and vice-president Jermaine Anderson, vice-president Josie Pingitore
Saskatchewan Rattlers: Jeremiah Mordi (Lagos, Nigeria), Cody John (Mississauga, Ont.), Isaac Simon (Regina, Sask.), Anthony Tsegakele (Gatineau, Que.), Emmanuel Bandoumel (Quebec City, Que.), Teddy Allen (Phoenix, Ariz.), James Montgomery (East Rockaway, N.Y.), Jaden Bediako (Brampton, Ont.), Adong Makuoi (Edmonton, Alta.), D’Andre Bernard (Ajax, Ont.), Julian Roche (Saint John, N.B.), Tyrell Green (Toronto, Ont.), coach Larry Abney, assistant Eric Magdanz, assistant Rob Lovelace, assistant Steve Burrows, v.p. operations Barry Rawlyk, manager Trevor Nerdahl, strength & conditioning Jordan Harbidge, doctor Patrick Ling, head therapist Nic Hallgrimson, assistant therapist Stephanie Peppler, doctor Danielle Frost, assistant therapist Shane Hayward, trainer Ella McLean
In the opening round and West semis, the host Calgary Surge edged the Winnipeg Sea Bears 84-82 on a baseline fadeaway from Corey Davis Jr. “For Corey to take that on his when we really needed it,” Surge coach Tyrell Vernon said. “It was a huge shot, and it was a testament to who he is.” The Surge’s Mathieu Kamba pilfered the ball with the score knotted at 82, setting the stage for Davis’ winner. The game was tied at 11 in the first quarter when the Surge exploded for a 17-1 run to lead 28-12 at the break as Kamba scored 13, including a block on a trey that led to a dunk in transition. “I was trying to go out there and lead,” Kamba said. “If they see that I’m playing 100 per cent, people will follow. We have the guys and talent, it’s just about someone taking the lead … playing as hard as I can and bringing people along.” The Surge led by 18 in the second frame but the Sea Bears hit four treys in the final two minutes, capped by a Simon Hildebrandt bomb as part of an 11-2 run to draw with 46-36 at the half. The Sea Bears kept bombing in the third and hit four treys as they clawed back within 5 before Malcolm Duvivier hit a trey at the buzzer to give Calgary a 66-58 lead heading into the final frame. The Sea Bears drew with on an Emmanuel Akot layup with 6:41 to play but Calgary led 75-71 at target time. Akot knotted the score at 75 but the Surge forced two turnovers – Kamba first dove after poking the ball loose in transition and deflected it out of bounds off Justin Wright-Foreman, before Kamba pilfered the ball from Stephane Ingo, leading to the game winner. Surge coach Tyrell Vernon attributed the win to “resiliency. “Resiliency. We didn’t give up, we took a punch … they kept jabbing at us and we never bailed out.” Sea Bears coach Mike Taylor said “we showed fight and heart, gave ourselves several chances to win, today the ball bounced Calgary’s way … tough to lose like this. … In winning time possessions, we had too many turnovers. We worked so hard defensively to get stops and then to not capitalize was tough.” Mathieu Kamba paced the Surge with 27 on 7-10 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 4-6 from the line and 7 boards. Corey Davis Jr added 23 on 3-8 from the floor, 5-9 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards, 8 assists and 2 steals. Sean Miller-Moore notched 13 on 5-12 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 14 boards, 6 assists and 2 steals. Trhae Mitchell scored 8 on 1-2 from the floor and 2-7 from the arc. Malcolm Duvivier added 3 on 0-3 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc and 2 boards. Jordy Tshimanga scored 3 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 9 boards. Marlon Johnson added 3 on 0-2 from the floor and 1-1 from the arc. Justin Jackson scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor. Gatluak James added 2 on 0-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards, while Gabe Osabuohien was scoreless, while nabbing 9 boards and dishing 2 assists. Calgary hit 30-83 (.360) overall, 18-50 (.360) from the floor, 12-33 (.360) from the arc and 12-16 from the line, while garnering 54 boards, including 26 on the offensive glass, 17 assists, 16 turnovers, 7 steals, 3 blocks and 18 fouls. Emmanuel Akot (Winnipeg, Man.) paced the Sea Bears with 23 on 7-10 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 6 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Justin Wright-Foreman (Queens, N.Y.) added 20 on 4-8 from the floor, 2-12 from the arc, 6-8 from the line, 7 boards and 4 assists. Scottie Lindsey (Hillsdale, Ill.) notched 15 on 3-8 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 4 boards, 5 assists and 3 steals. Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson (Winnipeg, Man.) scored 7 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 4 boards and 3 assists. Stephane Ingo (Mississauga, Ont.) added 6 on 1-3 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, 3 boards, 2 assists and 3 blocks. Simon Hildebrandt (Winnipeg, Man.) scored 6 on 2-5 from the arc and 8 boards. Alex Campbell (Brampton, Ont.), added 3 on 0-1 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 3 boards. Chad Posthumus (Winnipeg, Man.) scored 2 on 2-2 from the floor and 3 boards, while Mason Bourcier (Kelowna, B.C.) and Shawn Maranan (Winnipeg, Man.). The Sea Bears hit 27-66 (.400) overall, 17-34 from the floor, 10-32 (.310) from the arc and 18-21 (.850) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 14 turnovers, 9 steals, 6 blocks and 14 fouls. The Sea Bears end-of-season roster (coach & general manager Mike Taylor, assistant & assistant general manager Ryan Thomson, assistant Mike Raimbault, assistant player development Juwaun Brown, assistant & analytics William Gatchalian) also included David Muenkat (Brampton, Ont.), Noah Starkey (Hutchinson, Ks.) and Daren Watts (Winnipeg, Man.).
In the opening round and East semis, the Ottawa BlackJacks torched the Scarborough Shooting Stars 90-73. The Shooting Stars 31-18 after one quarter and 43-35 at the half. But the BlackJacks opened the third frame with a 13-4 run and knotted the score at 62 after three quarters. The BlackJacks’ defence shut down the Shooting Stars for five minutes during the final quarter while building a 79-64 lead. The target score was set at 90 after Ottawa led 81-65 with four minutes to play. Isaih Moore said the goal was to “attack the paint. Coach told us about some matchups that we would have … and we have guys that can really create their own shot and penetrate off the dribble and get something good. So that was one of the keys to winning tonight. Definitely part of our game plan.” BlackJacks coach James Derouin said “Isaih puts pressure on the rim with the lobs and then we can get into the paint with our guards in the pick and roll and that forces them to decide whether you’re gonna tag [Moore} on the lobs or if you’re gonna give up a three. So that is how we play, and Isaih is one of the best at it in terms of his field-goal percentage, hands and finishing. It puts a lot of pressure on the defence.” Moore said the BlackJacks Shooting Stars post Nick Ongenda was a force. “Shoutout to him, he’s a good shot blocker. We knew that coming into the game, and that’s why coach told us to play off two feet and give him a pump fake or two.” BlackJack Lloyd Pandi said the difference was “team defence. “Even though I’m up for the award (defensive player of the year), it’s really a testament of our team.” Shooting Stars coach Mike De Giorgio, who’d replaced Devan Blair at the helm before the game, said “I thought we found some good shots but they just didn’t go. But I also thought we got forced into some tough ones, too, which kind of broke out rhythm after the first quarter.” Isaih Moore paced the BlackJacks with 22 on 11-15 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 0-4 from the line, 10 boards and 2 blocks. Keevan Veinot added 18 on 1-9 from the floor, 4-5 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 3 boards and 6 assists. Deng Adel notched 11 on 4-9 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 8 boards and 8 assists. Lloyd Pandi scored 1 1on 4-7 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 7 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Tevin Brown added 11 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 2-3 from the line and 5 boards. Miryne Thomas scored 10 on 2-2 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 steals. Shamar Givance added 5 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2 boards and 2 assists. Tyrell Tate scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, while Justin Ndjock-Tadjore and Meshack Lufile were scoreless. The BlackJacks hit 37-81 (.450) overall, 27-56 (.480) from the floor, 10-25 (.400) from the arc and 6-11 (.540) from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 25 assists, 12 turnovers, 7 steals, 3 blocks and 12 fouls. Aaron Best (Scarborough, Ont.) paced the Shooting Stars with 17 on 3-5 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Donovan Williams (Houston, Tex.) added 17 on 3-8 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 5 boards. Nick Ongenda (Mississauga, Ont.) notched 12 on 4-6 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, 7 boards and 5 blocks. Cat Barber (Hampton, Va.) scored 11 on 1-5 from the floor, 3-11 from the arc, 5 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Kadre Gray (Toronto, Ont.) added 7 on 2-2 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 6 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Khalif Young (Toronto, Ont.) scored 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 8 boards. Jalen Adaway (Logansport, Ind.) added 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 8 boards and 3 assists, while Danilo Djuricic (Brampton, Ont.), Hason Ward (St. Thomas, Barbados), Jaden Campbell (Brampton, Ont.), Nicholas Lewis (Scarborough, Ont.) and Ammanuel Diressa (Toronto, Ont.) were scoreless. Diressa nabbed 2 boards. The Shooting Stars hit 26-74 (.350) overall, 17-36 (.470) from the floor, 9-38 (.230) from the arc and 12-15 (.800) from the line, while garnering 50 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 18 turnovers, 8 steals, 7 blocks and 12 fouls. The Shooting Stars (regular season coach Devan Blair, assistant Michael De Giorgio, assistant Dawood Akhtar, assistant Zane Martinez, assistant Daniel Mullings, assistant Daniel Fanone, general manager Brady Heslip) also included Devoe Joseph (Pickering, Ont.).
In the quarterfinals and East semis, the host Niagara River Lions edged the Ottawa BlackJacks 94-91 on a winning slam from Khalil Ahmad on a perfect alley oop lob from T.J. Lall. It marked Ahmad’s 13th straight point for the River Lions. “I told TJ, throw it up and I’ll go get it. And my guy trusted me,” Ahmad said. “It was beautiful, picture-perfect. … We stayed together the whole game. They went on runs and we stayed together, took care of what we needed to take care of and we got the win. So I’m just proud of our guys, how we stayed resilient.” The River Lions led 28-19 after one quarter and 49-48 at the half on a late trey by Jahvon Blair. The BlackJacks led 77-67 after three quarters and 85-81 at the start of target time. Ahmad hit a trey and then 3 free throws after being fouled on the next possession. He then turned the ball over but on the next play, drained another trey, setting the stage for the winner. River Lions coach Victor Raso said the team had run the winning play several times during the season. “TJ threw the ball where only Khalil could get it and Khalil made an incredibly athletic play. … They literally pushed us to the limit. And if this game is not here with 4,000 people, I don’t know if it goes our way. And then we got really tough, we went small, our guys played hard as hell and Khalil Ahmad is a special talent. Like what he did down the stretch and in Target Score Time was incredible. … That Ottawa team is really good. There are teams we’ve played against in this league who have more talented, more stacked rosters but I don’t know if we’ve played against a team who plays with that type of pace, that type of flow and those smarts and shooting ability on the offensive end. Like they caused us so many problems.” Khalil Ahmad paced the River Lions with 23 on 5-8 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 2 boards, 8 assists and 6 steals. Jahvon Blair added 22 on 6-9 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Nathan Cayo notched 17 on 2-5 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 6 boards, 4 assists and 4 blocks. Omari Moore scored 14 on 2-7 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards, 6 assists and 2 steals. Aaryn Rai added 9 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 assists. Loudon Love scored 7 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 6 boards and 2 steals. Elijah Lufile added 2 on 0-2 from the floor and 2-2 from the line, while Jordan Tchuente, Maurice Calloo, Kimbal Mackenzie and T.J. Lall were scoreless. Lall nabbed 3 boards. The River Lions hit 34-72 (.470) overall, 21-41 (.510) from the floor, 13-31 (.410) from the arc and 13-18 (.720) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 25 assists, 13 turnovers, 11 steals, 5 blocks and 12 fouls. Shamar Givance (Brampton, Ont.) paced the BlackJacks with 19 on 2-3 from the floor and 5-7 from the arc. Isaih Moore (Columbia, S.C.) added 17 on 8-9 from the floor, 1-1 from the line and 4 boards. Tevin Brown (Fairhope, Ala.) notched 14 on 4-6 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc and 3 boards. Keevan Veinot (Port Williams, N.S.) scored 11 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards and 5 assists. Lloyd Pandi (Ottawa, Ont.) added 9 on 4-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Deng Adel (Juba, South Sudan) scored 8 on 2-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 10 boards, 10 assists and 2 steals. Meshack Lufile (Burlington, Ont.) added 8 on 4-5 from the floor and 3 boards. Miryne Thomas (Cleveland, O.) scored 5 on 1-2 from the floor and 1-1 from the arc, while Tyrrel Tate (Calgary, Alta.) and Justin Ndjock-Tadjore (Gatineau, Que.) were scoreless. The BlackJacks hit 37-65 (.560) overall, 28-47 (.590) from the floor, 9-18 from the arc and 8-9 (.880) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 20 assists, 16 turnovers, 4 steals, 2 blocks and 13 fouls. The BlackJacks coach & general manager James Derouin, assistant David DeAveiro, assistant Damian Buckley, assistant Mike L’Africain, assistant Michel L’Africain, vice-president operations Jevohn Shepherd, vice-president Marika Guerin, doctor Jessica Curran, medical director Adrian Huynh, performance director Sean Stoqua, therapist Finley Miller, coordinator of player personnel Hennessy Roppovalente, equipment manager Alexander Louis) end-of-season roster also included James Jean-Marie (Montreal, Que.), Dragan Stajic (Waterloo, Ont.), Brandon Sampson (Louisiana) and Zena Edosomwan (Los Angeles, Cal.).
In the quarterfinals and West semis, the Calgary Surge stunned the host Edmonton Stingers 78-69. Sean Miller-Moore scored 6 points in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning layup in target time. “I was thinking about going to the left but I just ducked my head, tried to get it up, and the ball bounced in my favour,” Miller-Moore said. Jordy Tshimanga said “it was amazing to watch, we stayed together and made it work. I’m proud of the guys, proud of the coaching staff, and happy to move on.” The Surge hit four treys in the first frame, while the Stingers scored consistently in transition as the teams battled to a 39-39 draw at the half as Mindaugas Kačinas notched a late trey for Edmonton. The Surge again started to feed Tshimanga in the paint in the third guarter as they took command. Tshimanga “did a phenomenal job rebounding the ball, scoring the ball down low, putting pressure on the rim… His energy and attention to detail was phenomenal today,” said Calgary coach Tyrell Vernon. The Surge led 63-54 after three quarters. Although Edmonton opened the final frame with a 5-0 run, Calgary led by 7 at the start of target time. After Stinger Brody Clarke fouled out, Calgary went on a 7-0 run and all but iced it when Corey Davis Jr drained a trey. Stingers coach Jordan Baker said “it’s professional basketball, you gotta put the ball in the basket. When you don’t score 70 points it becomes hard to win basketball games. Guys battled, to their credit, we had some really good possessions that resulted in some easy ones that we missed.” Corey Davis Jr paced the Surge with 22 on 5-9 from the floor, 4-9 from the arc, 2 boards, 6 assists and 3 steals. Sean Miller-Moore added 18 on 6-11 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 6 boards and 3 assists. Jordy Tshimanga notched 14 on 4-8 from the floor, 6-9 from the line and 8 boards. Trhae Mitchell scored 8 on 1-2 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc and 8 boards. Gabe Osabuohien added 6 on 3-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 7 boards and 3 assists. Malcolm Duvivier scored 6 on 3-4 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 4 boards and 3 assists. Mathieu Kamba added 4 on 0-2 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 5 boards and 2 steals, while Justin Jackson, Gatluak James and Marlon Johnson Jr were scoreless. James and Johnson Jr each nabbed 3 boards. The Surge hit 29-67 (.430) overall, 22-40 (.550) from the floor, 7-27 (.250) from the arc and 13-19 (.680) from the line, while garnering 48 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 19 assists, 22 turnovers, 10 steals, 4 blocks and 17 fouls. Jacob Evans III (Jacksonville, N.C.) paced the Stingers with 13 on 3-7 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 8 assists and 3 steals. Trey McGowens (Pendleton, S.C) added 11 on 2-5 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 2 boards. Brody Clarke (Toronto, Ont.) notched 11 on 5-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 8 boards and 4 steals. Mike Nuga (Toronto, Ont.) scored 11 on 1-1 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc and 3 steals. Elijah Miller (Rexdale, Ont.) added 6 on 0-2 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 4 boards and 8 assists. Adika Peter-McNeilly (Scarborough, Ont.) scored 5 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 2 boards. Mindaugas Kacinas (Klapeda, Lithuania) added 5 on 1-5 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Ben Krikke (Edmonton, Alta.) scored 4 on 2-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2 boards. Nick Hornsby (Irvine, Cal.) added 2 on 1-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists, while Marcus Anderson (Brampton, Ont.), Ryan Richmond (Toronto, Ont.) and Aaron Rhooms (Toronto, Ont.) were scoreless. Anderson and Richmond each nabbed 2 boards. The Stingers hit 26-68 (.380) overall, 15-38 (.390) from the floor, 11-30 (.360) from the arc and 6-11 (.540) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 23 assists, 16 turnovers, 13 steals, 2 blocks and 20 fouls. The end-of-season Stingers roster (coach & general manager Jordan Baker, assistant Matt Skinn, assistant George Hoyt, assistant Jay Tomlinson, assistant Eric Fawcett, video coordinator Kaden Hrushka, therapist Tamara Smith, manager Gabriel Humilde, psychologist Lindsay Piper, doctor Isabel Hedayat) also included Taye Donald (St. Thomas, Ont.).
In the Final four semis and East final, the Niagara River Lions edged the host Montreal Alliance 78-75 on two late treys by Khalil Ahmad. “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.” River Lions coach Victor Raso said Ahmad is “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. And he just does it. He makes us look good. … We won a game on our worst shooting day and we talked all year about that: how good are you on your worst day? And today was our worst day. And all credit goes to Montreal, those guys are athletic across the board. Just a gritty, gritty, gritty group who always believes they have a chance. And a lot of that is because they always know that Khalil’s on our team.” The River Lions, playing without Jahvon Blair, as he had to report to his professional team in France, led 16-11 after the first quarter. They led 38-36 at the half on a pair of late treys by Ahmad. The Alliance led 59-54 after three quarters and 69-67 at target time, despite a late 5-0 run by River Lions, when the clock turned off for target time. The teams traded baskets until Ahmad’s late heroics. Alliance coach Derrick Alston Sr said “we played pretty fu-, we played pretty well. … 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.” Khalil Ahmad paced Niagara with 31 on 5-6 from the floor, 4-14 from the arc, 9-14 from the line and 10 boards. Nathan Cayo added 15 on 4-8 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 4 boards and 3 blocks. Omari Moore notched 9 on 4-6 from the floor, 0-6 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 13 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Loudon Lowe scored 8 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-6 from the line and 8 boards. Kimbal Mackenzie added 5 on 1-3 from the floor and 1-1 from the arc. T.J. Lall scored 4 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 5 boards and 2 assists. Elijah Lufile added 4 on 2-2 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 2 boards. Aaryn Rai scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 6 boards, while Jordan Tchuente and Maurice Calloo were scoreless. The River Lions hit 28-71 (.390) overall, 22-38 (.570) from the floor, 6-33 (.180) from the arc and 16-29 (.550) from the line, while garnering 51 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 7 assists, 13 turnovers, 5 steals, 7 blocks and 18 fouls. Ahmed Hill paced Montreal with 14 on 1-6 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 8 boards and 2 assists. Alain Louis added 12 on 5-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Chris Smith notched 11 on 4-8 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Jordan Bowden scored 10 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 3-3 from the line and 11 boards. Guillaume Payen-Boucard added 9 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 7 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Christian Rohlehr scored 9 on 4-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 2 blocks. Devonte Bandoo added 4 on 2-3 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 2 assists. Elijah Ifejeh scored 3 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 2 assists. Maxime Boursiquot added 3 on 0-2 from the floor and 1-2 from the arc, while Negus Webster-Chan and Bahaide Haidara were scoreless. The Alliance hit 27-69 (.390) overall, 21-45 (.460) from the floor, 6-24 from the arc and 15-19 (.780) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 11 turnovers, 5 steals, 5 blocks and 20 fouls.
In the other semi and West final, the Vancouver Bandits edged the Calgary Surge 89-87 as Zach Copeland nailed a trey off a Koby McEwen offensive board and dish. Bandits guard Mitch Creek said “it’s about taking what comes. It’s a reflection of the team and culture we have … it’s not about points or steals … it’s about winning.” The Surge led 23-20 after one quarter on a late trey by Justin Jackson. But the Bandits notched a 9-2 run, with all the points scored by Mitch Creek, while Copeland hit a trey in the dying seconds, as they built a 47-41 lead at the half. The Bandits kept dominating the paint as they ripped off a 10-0 run in the third quarter but the Surge countered with an 11-4 run to draw within 70-67 after three quarters. Calgary hit 4 treys in the final frame, including a Davis trey in target time to take an 83-82 lead. But the Bandits Nick Ward notched a slam and split a pair of free throws, while Creek nailed a trey, setting the stage for Copeland’s game winner. “There’s no way we can play (Target Score Time) without Zach [Copeland],” said Bandits coach Kyle Julius. Surge guard Corey Davis Jr said “we knew it was going to be a very hard-nosed basketball game. The ball didn’t land the way we wanted to, we had multiple chances to win the game … the basketballs didn’t let the ball bounce our way.” Surge coach Tyrell Vernon said “it was a dog fight. I’m proud of my group, it’s not the way we wanted it to end but definitely proud … sometimes (shots) don’t fall.” Mitch Creek paced Vancouver with 27 on 6-14 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 8 boards. Taze Moore added 18 on 6-9 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 11 boards and 5 assists. Nick Ward notched 17 on 6-9 from the floor, 5-10 from the line, 8 boards and 5 blocks. Zach Copeland scored 9 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 5 boards and 3 assists. Koby McEwen added 7 on 3-7 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Duane Notice scored 5 on 1-2 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Kur Jongkuch added 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 5 boards. Marcus Carr scored 2 on 1-4 from the floor, 2 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. James Karnik added 2 on 1-2 from the floor, while Glen Yang and Sam Maillet were scoreless. The Bandits hit 33-77 (.420) overall, 26-52 from the floor, 7-25 (.280) from the arc and 16-26 (.610) from the line, while garnering 55 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 17 assists, 16 turnovers, 8 stelas, 7 blocks and 15 fouls. Corey Davis Jr paced the Surge with 23 on 3-13 from the floor, 5-13 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards, 7 assists and 3 steals. Malcolm Duvivier added 16 on 1-6 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Sean Miller-Moore notched 13 on 2-13 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 6-6 from the line, 7 boards and 2 blocks. Trhae Mitchell scored 10 on 2-4 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 8 boards, 6 assists and 2 steals. Mathieu Kamba added 9 on 0-1 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 13 boards. Marlon Johnson scored 9 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 5 boards. Justin Jackson added 3 on 1-1 from the arc. Jordy Tshimanga scored 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-2 from the line and 3 boards. Gatluak James added 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 2 boards, while Jahenns Manigat and Noah Wharton were scoreless. The Surge hit 28-86 (.320) overall, 12-47 (.250) from the floor, 16-39 (.410) from the arc and 15-20 from the line, while garnering 51 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass, 17 assists, 11 turnovers, 2 blocks and 18 fouls.
In the title bout, the Niagara River Lions edged the Vancouver Bandits 97-95 on a 6-foot runner off a drive by postseason MVP Kahlil Ahmad in target time. Ahmad and Bandit Mitch Creek staged a shootout as Niagara took a 23-20 lead after the turnover-and-foul plagued first quarter. The River Lions Opened the second frame with a 5-0 run but Kody McEwen hit a pair of treys and James Karnik a bucket in the paint as the Bandits finally got their offence on track. Aaryn Rai countered with a pair of post-ups and a putback, while Nathan Cayo got a slam in transition and a driving layup as Niagara took a 44-41 lead. Karnik countered with a putback and Duane Notice a trey at the buzzer to give Vancouver a 46-44 lead at the half. The River Lions opened the second half with a 8-0 run before Kreek stemmed the Bandit bleeding with a mid-range hook. Nick Ward added a baby hook and Karnik an offensive tip as Vancouver trimmed the margin to 53-52. But Rai notched a bucket on a baseline cut and a fadeaway elbow jumper, while Omari Moore drilled a trey and a transition layup, before Cayo posted-up for a bucket and notched a layup in transition to cap an 11-0 River Lion run as Niagara took a 68-56 lead. A late 6-1 Bandits run trimmed the margin to 7 before Cayo hit a late fadeaway jumper to give the River Lions a 71-62 lead heading into the final frame. Loudon Love hit an 8-foot runner and a putback to give Niagara a 75-64 lead. Kreek hit a baby hook for the Bandits but Ahmad answered with a driving layup. Marcus Carr countered with a 10-foot jumper. Moore and Carr traded treys before Ahmad nailed a trey for the River Lions. McEwen answered with a driving layup for the Bandits. Moore drove for a Niagara layup before Kreek knifed into the paint for an and-one to make it 87-77 Niagara at target time with 3:32 to play. With the target fixed at 96, Ward notched a putback and Carr a free throw to draw the Bandits within 7. Cayo answered with a transition layup and Moore a free throw for Niagara. But Ward countered with a bucket in the paint, Carr a 6-foot runner and Kreek a pair of free throws to draw Vancouver within 90-89. Rai responded with a beautiful feed to Cayo for a slam. Ward countered with a free throw for Vancouver. Rai notched a putback for the River Lions to make it 94-90. Ward answered with a driving reverse layup on the baseline to trim the margin to 94-92. Ahmad hit 1-2 from the line for Niagara before McEwen drained a trey to knot the score at 95, setting the stage for Ahmad’s winner. “I can’t even put it into words,” Ahmad said. “This is my third summer here trying to get a chip and we finally got it done. … That’s the biggest bucket of my life for sure. To get a chip like that on the third [season with Niagara], that’s the biggest bucket of my life. I can’t even put it into words.” River Lions coach Victor Raso said “I can’t believe he missed the free throw. I’ve never seen him miss a free throw like that, I don’t think ever. And then he just followed that up the next possession. … This organization has been elite in the CEBL, but we never had the validation of a championship. We just needed this as an organization.” Bandit Mitch Creek said “when you put yourselves in a position to have to fight back, it’s really hard to repeatedly do that. We almost got lucky twice (having survived the semi). 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. … [The loss was] sad, hard and tough. You do so much and if you don’t feel emotion after a loss in the championship game it means you haven’t really done the work and put in the time and effort. You sit with it for a little bit. You sit and watch on court. You watch them 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.” Nathan Cayo paced Niagara with 25 on 10-12 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 8 boards and 4 assists. Khalil Ahmad added 23 on 3-5 from the floor, 4-10 from the arc, 5-7 from the line, 2 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Aaryn Rai notched 15 on 7-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 6 boards and 2 steals. Omari Moore scored 14 on 2-7 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 8 boards, 5 assists and 2 blocks. Loudon Love added 10 on 4-6 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. T.J. Lall scored 4 on 1-1 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Kimbal Mackenzie added 4 on 2-2 from the floor. Elijah Lufile scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 4 boards, while Jordan Tchuente and Maurice Calloo were scoreless. Tchuente nabbed 2 boards. Niagara hit 38-72 (.520) overall, 30-46 (.650) from the floor, 8-26 (.300) from the arc and 13-21 (.610) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 15 turnovers, 8 steals, 5 blocks and 23 fouls. Mitch Creek paced Vancouver with 26 on 8-14 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 13 boards and 2 assists. Koby McEwen added 20 on 3-5 from the floor, 4-11 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Nick Ward notched 13 on 5-7 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 7 boards. Marcus Carr scored 9 on 4-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Zach Copeland added 8 on 1-6 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 3 assists and 2 steals. Taze Moore scored 6 on 2-8 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 9 boards. James Karnik added 6 on 3-5 from the floor, 6 boards and 3 blocks. Duane Notice scored 5 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2 assists and 2 steals. Kur Jongkuch added 2 on 1-1 from the floor, 0-4 from the line and 4 boards, while Glen Yang and Sam Maillet were scoreless. Vancouver hit 36-85 (.420) overall, 28-55 from the floor, 8-30 (.260) from the arc and 15-24 (.620) from the line, while garnering 52 boards, including 24 on the offensive glass, 9 assists, 14 turnovers, 6 steals, 6 blocks and 19 fouls.
The co-bronze Calgary Surge: Sean Miller-Moore (Brampton, Ont.), Stef Smith (Ajax, Ont.), Malcolm Duvivier (Toronto, Ont.), Corey Davis Jr (Lafayette, La.), Gabe Osabuohien (Toronto, Ont.), Mathieu Kamba (Calgary, Alta.), Marlon Johnson Jr (Chicago, Ill.), Justin Jackson (Toronto, Ont.), Gatluak James (Windsor, Ont.), Jordy Tshimanga (Montreal, Que.), Trhae Mitchell (Mableton, Ga.), Mike Demagus (Scarborough, Ont.), Noah Wharton (Brampton, Ont.), coach Tyrell Vernon, assistant Will Rooney, assistant Kyle Landry, assistant & manager Awet Abraha, player development David Francis, player development Dean Haidar, general manager Shane James, senior advisor Steve Konchalski, operations lead Mike Girling, doctor Cale Moore, therapist Dave Bertrand, strength & conditioning Adam Wasylyshyn, massage therapist Aaron Ashe
The co-bronze medalist Montreal Alliance: Devontè Bandoo (Brampton, Ont.); Curtis Hollis (Mansfield, Tex.); Negus Webster-Chan (Scarborough, Ont); Chris Smith (Chicago, Ill.); Ahmed Hill (Augusta, Ga.); Nginyu Ngala (Montreal, Que.); Jordan Bowden (Knoxville, Tenn.); Guillaume Boucard (Montreal, Que.); Alain Louis (Port-au-Prince, Haiti); Elijah Ifejeh (Montreal, Que.); Bahaïde Haïdara (Montreal, Que.); Maxime Boursiquot (Ottawa, Ont.); Christian Rohlehr (Toronto, Ont.); coach Derrick Alston Sr; assistant Charles Dube-Brais; assistant Ryan Thorne; assistant Jeff Dosado; assistant Vincent Plante; assistant Quesly-Marie Noresias; general manager Joel Anthony; assistant general manager Ibraham Appiah
The runner-up Vancouver Bandits: Koby McEwen (Toronto, Ont.); Zach Copeland (Oakland, Cal); Jerric Palma (Richmond, B.C.); Taze Moore (Southhaven, Miss.); Marcus Carr (Toronto, Ont.); Diego Maffia (Victoria, B.C.); Kur Jongkuch (Juba, South Sudan); Drew Urquhart (Vancouver, B.C.); Adam Olsen (Surrey, B.C.); Duane Notice (Toronto, Ont.); Glen Yang (Burnaby, B.C.); James Karnik (Surrey, B.C.); Sam Maillet (Moncton, N.B.); Connor Platz (Langley, B.C.); Nick Ward (Gahanna, O.); Mitchell Creek (Horsham, Australia); coach & general manager Kyle Julius; assistant Tony Scott; assistant Josiah Meppelink; assistant Matthew Berg; mindfulness & player development Jon Giesbrecht; strength & conditioning Tanner Care; assistant strength & conditioning Jackson Banman; assistant strength & conditioning Timothy Rattan; physiotherapist Kosta Ikonomou; doctor Presley Moodley; chiropractor Mark Malowney; orthopedic physician David Wickham
The champion Niagara River Lions: Khalil Ahmad (Corona, Cal.), Jahvon Blair (Brampton, Ont.), Maurice Calloo (Windsor, Ont.), Nathan Cayo (Montreal, Que.), A.J. Davis (Buford, Ga.), T.J. Lall (Cambridge, Ont.), Scottie Lewis (Bronx, N.Y.), Loudon Love (Geneva, Ill.), Elijah Lufile (Milton, Ont.), Kimbal Mackenzie (Oakville, Ont), Omari Moore (Pasadena, Cal.), Aaryn Rai (Markham, Ont.), Jordan Tchuente (Ottawa, Ont.), coach & general manager Victor Raso, assistant Andrew Sergi, assistant Marlo Davis, assistant Chris Rao, assistant Joel Friesen, assistant Troy Stevenson, chief of staff Jeff Zwolak, junior assistant Ryan Alford