Playoffs forecast Lightning for Niagara

The Niagara River Lions are returning to the playoffs hoping Lightning won’t strike them for the eighth time this season.

The River Lions, back in the National Basketball League of Canada playoffs for the first time since their inaugural season in 2015-16, went 1-7 against the London Lightning in league play.

Defending champion London, which hosts Games 1 and 2 in the best-of-five series Friday and Saturday night at Budweiser Gardens, finished the regular season 4-0 against Niagara at home and 3-1 when they played the River Lions at Meridian Centre in St. Catharines.

The third game and, if necessary, the fourth game in the Central Division semifinal will be played Tuesday and Friday, April 13, at Meridian Centre. Tipoff for both is 7 p.m.

If a fifth game is needed to determine who advances to the second round, it would be played Sunday, April 15, in London, also beginning at 7 p.m.

Niagara’s lone victory in head-to-head play versus London was a 120-114 decision at home in the season opener Nov. 18.

The Lightning finished the regular first in the division with a 27-13 and second overall to the Atlantic Division No. 1 seed Halifax Hurricanes, 28-12, in the 10team league.

Niagara placed fourth in the Central Division with a 17-23 record in Joe Raso’s first season as head coach, three games behind the Windsor Express, 20-20, and nine ahead of the Kitchener-Waterloo Titans,

8-32.

The River Lions and Lightning have enjoyed similar success of late heading into the playoffs. Niagara is 5-5 and London 6-4 over their last 10 games.

The Lightning, however, are riding a five-game winning streak into post-season play, while the River Lions rebounded from a loss to the St. John’s Edge to close out the season with a road win against the same team.

A familiar face to veterans on the River Lions will be in an unfamiliar space on the court in the first round of the playoffs. In 2016-17 Keith Vassell guided Niagara to a 7-11 finish as inter-

im head coach before taking over as Lightning head coach during the off-season.

He previously coached the

Niagara College men’s basketball team for three seasons going

34-19 and guiding the Knights to back-to-back finishes at the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association championships.

London is seeking to return to the finals for the fifth time and fourth title since the league’s inception in 2012. The Lightning won back-to-back championships in 2012-13.