River Lions roll over Riptide
Niagara continues homestand with second straight victory
Devonta Pollard is the first to admit he rarely talks to anyone off the basketball court.
However, come game time, he considers himself a leader on the court.
And lead is what the six-foot-eight Mississippi native did Tuesday night at Meridian Centre, as the Niagara River Lions rolled over the Saint John Riptide 103-93.
Pollard poured in a team-high 20 points as the River Lions continued their seven-game homestand with a second straight victory.
“That was a very big win for us,” said the 23-year-old Pollard who played his college ball at Houston University.
“Especially putting two (wins) together after coming off a six-game losing streak. It’s helping us with our confidence.”
Pollard, who has also played professionally in Qatar and Greece, chuckled when asked about his leadership skills.
“It’s crazy because off the court I really don’t talk that much, but on the court I feel like I do a pretty good job of leading and helping my teammates.”
Lions head coach Joe Raso is impressed with Pollard’s athleticism.
“The one thing about Devonta is he’s not only six-foot-eight, he’s very athletic, and his first step is really good,” explained Raso.
“Sometimes I think he fakes himself out by using too many fakes. Not many people can stop him on his first move, and that’s pretty impressive when he gets to the rim and gets to the free-throw line.”
Niagara improved to 14-19 in the National Basketball League of Canada’s Central Division standings, while Saint John dropped to 16-14 in the Atlantic Division.
“Today was all about the power of the pass,” Raso said. “We passed the ball to open shooters and had a pile of assists tonight.”
The River Lions finished the game with a very impressive 29 assists, including many offensive possessions where all five players on the floor touched the ball.
“The other part that was really good is that I thought we rotated well defensively,” said Raso.
“Defense is something that we’ve been preaching, and preaching, and we held a pretty good team tonight in check and created a pile of steals.”
The Lions continued their seven-game
homestand Wednesday night against the Cape Breton Highlanders, before hosting the Island Storm in a 7 p.m. tipoff Friday.
“Back-to-backs are tough but the benefit is
you’re at home,” Raso added. “The good thing is the travel is eliminated being at home. We just have to bring it defensively.”
Lion Pride: Every player from both teams saw the floor as Adam Klie and Matt Marshall were the only River Lions not to score in the game ... Sam Muldrow received a disqualifying foul in the third quarter ... The Riptide have played the fewest games thus far at 30 in the 40-game NBLC schedule ... The entire Cape Breton Highlanders team was in attendance Tuesday, as the Lions hosted the Highlanders Wednesday night.