Niagara River Lions come up empty in CEBL final against Edmonton Stingers

The Niagara River Lions’ resilience found a breaking point, which means the organization will be seeking the silver linings from a runner-up season in the Canadian Elite Basketball League.

The Edmonton Stingers were every bit the well-oiled machine they have been for the last two seasons, as they defeated Niagara 101-65 on Sunday to capture their second consecutive CEBL championship. In front of a boisterous home crowd at Edmonton’s Expo Centre — who were treated to a halftime show featuring hip-hop artist Kardinall Offishall — the Stingers led by as much as 20 points in the first half.

Niagara, under coach and general manager Victor Raso, made a run to the final even though player availability was a moving target due to NBA Summer League, COVID-19 protocols and commitments to pro leagues.

The River Lions wrested second place in the regular season away from the rival Hamilton Honey Badgers, then edged the Fraser Valley Bandits 84-82 in the semifinal on Friday after lead guard Phil Scrubb hit a game-ending three-pointer to reach the target score.

However, they were steadily worn down by the pace, size and depth of an Edmonton outfit assembled by coach-GM Jermaine Small, who is the head coach at the University of Lethbridge.

Edmonton, led by three-time CEBL player of the year Xavier Moon, with hometown forward and veteran pro Jordan Baker offering an emotional and physical anchor, was relentless at both ends of the floor.

Their tight defensive rotations forced Scrubb to pass out of double teams, while the Stingers were also able to run their fast-break transition offence. The Stingers went on a 22-4 run over an eight-minute span of the first half when the cold-shooting River Lions failed to score a single basket.

The Stingers had a league-record 36 assists on 41 baskets.

Moon scored 28 points and had eight assists, while Baker hooped 19 and also had eight assists. Mathieu Kamba scored most of his 18 in the first half. Marlon Johnson added 14 points and a game-high four blocks.

Phil Scrubb had 17 points, making five-of-eight three-point tries. Forward Tommy Scrubb added 15 after missing the semifinal on Friday, but was limited to four-of-16 shooting. Javin Delaurier added 13 for the River Lions.