MONTREAL – The Niagara River Lions are the kings in the jungle of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.

On a championship weekend that was not for the faint of heart, the River Lions captured their first-ever title in the most dramatic fashion at the Verdun Auditorium.

After blowing an 87-77 lead in target score time, Mr. Clutch – aka Khalil Ahmad – scored the golden basket that helped the River Lions to a 97-95 victory over the resilient Vancouver Bandits.

“I can’t even put it into words,” said Ahmad, whose last-minute heroics helped the champions beat host Montreal Alliance 78-75 in Friday’s Eastern Conference final. “This is my third summer here trying to get a chip, and we’ve finally done it.”

Ahmad, who scored the game-winning goal when he outplayed two defenders on the line and hammered home a floater, added: “This is definitely the biggest basket of my life.”

Nathan Cayo had 25 points and eight rebounds, while Ahmad had 23 points and four assists for the River Lions, who joined the league in 2019 as the original six-man team.

Aaryn Rai scored 15 points as a substitute and Loudon Love contributed 10 points.

The River Lions have made the CEBL playoffs every year and reached the finals in 2021. The Bandits have missed the postseason only once, making the finals in 2020.

“This organization was in the CEBL elite, but we never got the validation of a championship,” said River Lions head coach Victor Raso. “We just really needed that as an organization.”

The Bandits’ offense came out of nowhere in the first few minutes of the game, but the River Lions adjusted and led 23-20 after the first quarter. Vancouver led 46-44 at halftime, but Niagara outscored its rivals 27-16 in the third quarter to take control.

Mitch Creek led the Bandits, the Western Conference champions, with 26 points and 13 rebounds, while Koby Mcewen added 17. Nick Ward scored 13 points for the Bandits as a substitute.

“When you put yourself in a situation where you have to fight back, it’s really hard to keep doing that,” Creek said. “Some of us might need to go to the casino tonight and roll some dice and try to get some of the emotions back.”

“…This loss was sad, tough and hard. You watch them (the River Lions) cheering and singing and carrying on like a bunch of idiots, just like we would as bandits. You almost enjoy watching someone else win because you know that you’ll get that chance someday.”

Creek said the Bandits’ locker room was silent for 10 minutes after the painful loss before head coach Kyle Julius said something he didn’t want to share with reporters.

The Bandits reached Sunday’s final with a thrilling 89-87 win over the Calgary Surge on Friday. The Surge missed an open layup in target score time that would have given them the win.

OBJECTIONS: The Langley, BC-based Bandits hosted two watch parties over the weekend and on Sunday hundreds of fans sat screaming in front of the TVs at the Barley Merchant Pub-Restaurant. For a few moments, it seemed as though their Bandits would score the highest goal score in CEBL history.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press