River Lions derail Express in a big way
The Niagara River Lions’ 84th game in franchise history might have been the National Basketball League of Canada team’s most impressive.
The River Lions never trailed from the 4: 47 mark of the first quarter in rolling to a 119- 97 win over the Windsor Express Sunday afternoon at Meridian Centre.
Six players reached double digits in scoring for the Lions who shot 53 per cent from the floor.
Niagara out- rebounded the Express 48- 31, dished out 30 assists compared to Windsor’s 16, and finished the game with a very impressive 10 blocks. The Express had just one.
“I really like our parity,” River Lions head coach Joe Raso said when asked about his spread- out scoring and bench rotation.
“I want teams to know that we have lots of firepower. We have guys who can get to the middle, and we have guys who can knock it down.”
There’s no doubt who the floor general is for Raso, and the firstyear Lions bench boss is the reason 5- foot- 9 point guard Omar Strong is playing in Niagara this season.
“Coach called me when I was in Baltimore and said, ‘ Omar I need you to come up here and help our guys and be a vet ( veteran) and try and run the show,’ and I said, ‘ Coach, I’m all for it and I’ll be up there.’ I really respect Coach,” said the 27- year old Strong who played his college basketball at Texas Southern University.
“I really like our team and what Coach is doing with us. We just have to keep buying into what he’s telling us.”
Strong, who played professionally in France the past two years, is the former National Basketball League of Canada sixth man award winner with the then Mississauga Power. He had 12 points, five assists and one steal Sunday as the River Postmedia News star of the game: Niagara forward Sam Muldrow, with 10 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks.
Scoring for Windsor: Logan Stutz ( 21), Maurice Jones ( 17), Shaquille Keith ( 17), Anthony Ottley Jr. ( 11). Scoring for Niagara: Marvell Waithe ( 16), Guillaume Boucard ( 16), Carl Hall ( 16), Dwayne Smith ( 13), Omar Strong ( 12).
Shooting percentage: Windsor, 44.6; Niagara, 53
Rebounds: Windsor, 31; Niagara, 48 Turnovers: Windsor, 8; Niagara, 15 Free throws, made- attempts: Windsor, 15- for- 21; Niagara,
15- for- 18
Attendance at Meridian Centre: 1,590
Next games for Niagara: Wednesday, home to Halifax Hurricanes, 7 p. m.; Friday, at St. John's Edge, 5: 30 p. m.; Saturday, at St. John's Edge, 5: 30 p. m. Lions improved to 2- 0.
For his part Raso calls Strong a “pro’s pro.
“I called him and told him I was told he was the guy to build a team around,” Raso said. “He’s been great. He takes care of his body, he takes care of his teammates, and he just loves to compete.”
Niagara held a 59- 48 lead at the half, and really put the game out of reach in the third quarter outscoring Windsor 38- 18 over 12 minutes.
“I was really happy with the start of the second half,” Raso said. “I thought we were really engaged.
“The guys played hard, and we were really efficient. We were working harder, scoring easier and defending better.”
The River Lions host the Halifax Hurricanes Wednesday night to conclude their three- game homestand to open the season before heading to Newfoundland to take on the St. John’s Edge Friday and Saturday.
“This is a tough week for us because we go Wednesday and then a doubleheader on the road, back here and then we start to really
I want teams to know that we have lots of firepower. We have guys who can get to the middle, and we have guys who can knock it down.”
River Lions head coach Joe Raso
get into a grind,” Raso said. “We’re still forming, and we need to get to the point where we’re norming.”
Lion Pride: Raso used his entire bench in the victory … Niagara has added former NBA D- Leaguer Max Hooper, while Tyler Murray has been released … Former River Lion and National Basketball League of Canada most valuable player Logan Stutz had a game- high 21 points for Windsor. Anthony Ottley Jr., another former Lion, added 11 points for the Express.