River Lions roar to two straight road victories
There’s an old adage — “progress is impossible without change.”
Look no further then the Niagara River Lions for proof of that.
The River Lions added three new players and it led to two straight road victories, Sunday at Windsor against the Express and Monday at Orangeville.
The wins were the Lions first on the road since the opening day of the season.
After Chris Commons led the way in Sunday’s win over Windsor, newly acquired Carl Hall drained 24 points in Monday’s victory over the A’s.
“Carl played great today, and gave us an inside powerful presence at both ends of the floor,” said Niagara head coach Grace Lokole.
“The team did a great job getting him the ball in his hot spots.”
Hall, who played his college ball for the Wichita State Shockers, joins former Syracuse point guard Antonio “Scoop” Jardine and Canadian Elliot Mason as the newest River Lions.
“We are excited to welcome three key additions to our roster,” president and general manager Jeff Sotiriou said.
“Carl Hall adds depth to our front court, and brings a wealth of international experience to our team.
“Antonio will be valuable at the point guard position. Scoop played at a well-respected Syracuse school where winning is a tradition, so we are confident that he will bring a winning attitude to Niagara.
“We also welcomed a talented Canadian player in Elliot Mason. He’s a great shooter who will be eager to start his professional career on the right foot.”
On Monday former Orangeville A Richard Amardi nailed a threepointer with 0.5 seconds left on the clock to seal the River Lions’ 117-116 win as Sammy Zeglinski picked up his 15th assist of the game on the play.
“As a whole, this weekend was Richard’s best as a River Lion,” said Lokole.
“The shot he hit today didn’t do justice to how hard he is working on himself, as both a player and a person.”
The River Lions(7-11) visit the same two teams next weekend. Saturday they’re in Windsor, and Sunday it’s a rematch against Orangeville.
“They’re both good teams and we’ll have to work even harder to get two more wins,” said Lokole.
Added Sotiriou, “The three new additions, along with our strong group of core players, will help as we enter the second half of the season and push towards the playoffs.”
Lion Pride: Commons scored a game-high 22 points in Sunday’s 10798 win over Windsor, as seven River Lions scored in double figures … The Lions shot 51.2 per cent from the floor on Sunday, and 52.2 per cent on Monday … Scoop Jardine had 16 points and six assists in Sunday’s win, and 12 points, seven dimes and six rebounds in Monday’s victory … Russ Conley, Bilal Benn, Naadir Tharpe and Anthony Ottley Jr. were released by the River Lions. Sotiriou was quick to praise and thank all four for their contributions to the team.