Final Games Set CEBL Championship Round
Though the teams who would be contesting the league championship were set, there was still lots to play for in the last games of the Canadian Elite Basketball League regular season.
The final season standings would determine which teams would be facing each other in the semi finals of the title round, which would take place at Saskatchewan Place in Saskatoon at the end of the month.
The Niagara River Lions ended the season on a high with a big road win, despite a constant threat from the Hamilton Honey Badgers. The fourth quarter was where the visitors made the game-winning efforts in the low post and the last of their fourteen three-pointers.
Ryan Anderson impressed with 20 points for Niagara, behind team’s top scorer Darion Pinson and the game leader Ricky Tarrant Jr, who had 26 points for the Honey Badgers. It was Niagara, though, who celebrated at the end after beating Hamilton 108-94.
Though their place in the championship was safe, the Saskatchewan Rattlers found themselves outmatched in their last game. Their opponents, the Guelph Nighthawks, were relentless and dominant on offence, making more than half of all their shot attempts opposing teams.
Two familiar faces on the opposing backcourts led the scoring in this game: Alex Campbell had 28 points for the Rattlers while Olu Famutimi led the Nighthawks with 31 points of his own. Even though it was the end of the road for Guelph, they went out in a big way, beating Saskatchewan 125-115.
The Edmonton Stingers, meanwhile, closed out the season with a charismatically dominant sowing against the Fraser Valley Bandits. On their visit to the Abbotsford Centre, Edmonton lead by nineteen points the first quarter and going on to lead by double digits for the remainder.
Tyrrell Tate tried to inspire something for Fraser Valley with a team-high 19 points, but the Stingers had closed the door early and there was no way back for the hosts. Five Edmonton players finished in double digits, Mamadou Gueye the joint scoring leader with 19, as they close out the regular season with a ten-point win over the Bandits.
These final results mean the Niagara River Lions finish the regular season in first place. This sets them up with another game against the Hamilton Honey Badgers, this time for a place in the final when the championship round gets underway in Saskatoon. Edmonton’s final win was enough for second place, and they will face the championship hosts Saskatchewan Rattlers, who finished third.
All that's left is for the final four to face off in the championship round, which will begin on August 24th in Saskatoon. Until then, all information on the CEBL and the finals can be found on the league's official website.
