Big preparation returns big dividends to River Lions
Niagara improves to 2-0 versus Saskatchewan thanks to pre-game scouting
Another first in a season of firsts for the Niagara River Lions.
Friday night in Saskatoon the host Saskatchewan Rattlers dropped a
108-91 decision becoming the first team to lose twice to the St. Catharines-based River Lions in the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s inaugural season.
Two Niagara players recorded a double-double and six in all scored in double digits as the River Lions won their second in a row to improve to 3-1.
Head coach Victory Raso suggested having an arsenal of offensive weapons can only help the team moving forward in its first season playing a spring-summer schedule in the new professional league.
“That is what I really like so far about this team. We don’t necessarily have a ‘main guy,’ we just have a concept of how to play offensively,” he said.
“It just comes down to our guys’ ability to understand that they all play together, move the ball freely and attack where we want to attack.
“Everybody is going to get a lot of open looks, and they have really bought into that. They’ve bought into each other. They like each other.”
As a bonus, not knowing which players to zero in on makes scouting the River Lions difficult for opposing teams.
Niagara places a premium on scouting. In their practices, the players hit the floor knowing precisely what they need to do as they prepare for an upcoming opponent.
“These guys get an opportunity to play with a scout every single day,” Raso said. “The difference for us, when we actually get to scout a team and prepare for a team, is that we’re teaching the guys how to do this every single day. So, when we go against an opponent, it’s not brand new to them.”
This emphasis on preparation is bearing fruit.
Raso pointed out in both of the River Lions’ rematches — against the Edmonton Stingers, versus Saskatchewan — “we’ve been significantly better.
“A lot to do with that is our guys’ ability to take in the scouting report,” he added.
“To know who we’re focused on in the game, what kind of action they’re going to run, how we’re going to handle it,” he said.
Unlike the season opener, which Niagara won 99-97 after rebounding from a slow start, the River Lions began setting the pace in the first quarter in the rematch. They took a 25-21 lead into the second quarter after overcoming a 5-0 deficit and were up 58-44 at halftime.
We don’t necessarily have a ‘main guy,’ we just have a concept of how to play offensively.”
VICTOR RASO Niagara River Lions head coach
After three quarters of play, it was 80-64 in favour of Niagara with the Rattlers outscoring their visitors 27-18 over the final 10 minutes.
Unlike the National Basketball Association and the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC), in which games are 48 minutes long, the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) follows FIBA rules and plays 40 minutes.
Niagara spent three years playing a fall-winter schedule in the NBLC before becoming one of six founding franchises in the fledgling spring-summer league.
“We didn’t have the greatest start, I think we got down 5-0, but after that, we locked in,” the first-year head coach said. “We defended well as a team.”
On defence, the River Lions succeeded in throwing Saskatchewan’s “main guys” of their games.
“I think Bruce Massey was 6-of-14 and Terry Thomas was 6-of-21, which is exactly what we wanted to do,” Raso said.
Raso suggested Saskatchewan’s margin of victory in the battle of the boards, 64-51, flattered the home team.
“Those rebounds seem a little bit inflated to me, but they missed 62 shots — they were 28-of-90 — so there were a ton of rebounds to be had,” Raso said.
In their lone loss, a 118-105 setback in overtime at Edmonton, the River Lions were out-rebounded by 20.
“In the last two games, we’ve lost the boards by about five or six, and a lot of that is because we’re forcing teams to take tough shots,” Raso said.
“We want to win the rebounding battle every single game, but the biggest thing for us is staying focused. We’re a little smaller than some teams, so we just need to be focused on the boards. Make sure we’re boxing guys out,” he added.
Guillaume Payen-Bouchard, with 17 points and a game-high 12 rebounds; and Dorian Pinson, 15 points, 11 rebounds; each had a double-double for the River Lions. Nem Mitrovic topped Niagara in scoring with 18, all from beyond the three-point arc, Sam Muldrow contributed 16 points and Trae Bell-Haynes 10.
Ryan Anderson added 12 points off the bench for the River Lions.
Massey led all players in scoring with 21 points. Thomas had 19 in a loss that dropped the Rattlers to 3-2.
Niagara returns to the court Friday when it hosts the Fraser Valley Bandits from Abbotsford, B.C., in a 7 p.m. tipoff at Meridian Centre in St. Catharines.