River Lions lack Edge against St. John’s
Joe Raso knew he had a young team entering the 2017-18 National Basketball League of Canada season.
But the first-year Niagara River Lions head coach was expecting, or at least hoping, for one of his youngsters to step up and take a leadership role.
Unfortunately that hasn’t happened, and with just four games left in the regular season the River Lions desperately need a leader going into the playoffs.
The Lions fell to 0-6 on the season against the St. John’s Edge with a 118-103 loss Thursday night at Meridian Centre in St. Catharines.
“This was a game we got beat up at every level,” Raso said. “If you didn’t keep score and just said give me the effort, that (St. John’s) team wins.”
The Edge drained 17 threepointers in the victory.
“If you want to be good, you’ve got to be good defensively,” said Raso. “Our three-point field-goal percentage on defence – we have to be consistent defensively and it starts with pressuring the ball, and defending the three.”
Niagara did cut the St. John’s lead to five points in the third quarter, but the Edge quickly responded with nine straight points off a trio of three-pointers.
“There’s a fine line between finesse and physical, and it was one of those things we challenged our guys with today, and unfortunately we got the wrong one to describe our play,” explained Raso as his team fell to 15-21 overall.
Asked if he had a leader in the locker room, Raso was very blunt with his answer:
“I think right now there’s a void. No one is jumping out at me,” he said. “We’re a very, very, young group, and my makeup is thinking that leadership would come. No one has stepped up and said, ‘Hey I’m the leader of this team.’ Nobody has stepped up and made other people accountable.”
No one is comfortable in doing that. So maybe that’s one of the places we have to start.”
Rookie point guard, and the reigning Central Division player of the week, Jaylon Tate recorded the River Lions — and the game’s — only double-double with 13 points and 11 assists.
Xavier Ford backed up his trash talking on the court with a game-high 24 points, and also pulled down nine rebounds.
The Lions continue their seven-game homestand Saturday night when they welcome the Kitchener-Waterloo Titans. Game time at Meridian Centre is 7 p.m.
“I think our staff did a very good job tonight,” Raso added.
“This was a terrible loss with a very good scouting report. Guys did their work, we just didn’t do our work on the floor and that has to change.
“We have to decide: do the players feel as bad as some of the fans in the stands? And we have to feel responsible.
“I know our team is a whole lot better, and can be better. We have two decisions to make: a hard one and an easy one.
“We constantly go to the easy one.
“We know the hard one is the right one.”
Lion Pride: The River Lions actually led the game 24-23 at the end of one quarter of play ... Fourteen of Ford’s game-high 24 points came in the second half for St. John’s who improved to 24-14 with the win ... The E.I. McCulley School Choir sang the national anthem.