Ahmad, who scored the game-winning goal when he outplayed two defenders on the line and hammered home a floater, added: “That was 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.”
“…That loss was sad, tough and hard. You watch them (the River Lions) cheering and singing and acting like a bunch of idiots, just like we would as Bandits. You almost enjoy watching someone else win because you know you’re going to get that chance at some point.”
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
