The Scarborough Shooting Stars won their home opener against the Niagara River Lions 95-87 to extend their winning streak to two games.
Scarborough led 14-10 after the first 5 minutes, shooting 57% of their three-point shots, and 55% from the field. Niagara pushed back to cut the deficit to 29-27 by the end of the first quarter, where Nathan Cayo scored 6 points when he was substituted off the bench.
Kadre Gray, of the Scarborough Shooting Stars (via Scarborough Shooting Stars Instagram)
Hason Ward had an impressive block late in the second quarter, to add to his 3 on the night. The Shooting Stars had a 55-47 lead after the first half, and never saw their lead vanish afterwards, but it was a close match. Niagara went on a 12-4 run in the end of the third quarter to make it a 2 point deficit, with Jahvon Blair leading the charge.
Kadre Gray went coast to coast in the fourth quarter, bounced off the River Lions defender, and drove for the layup. It was a great experience for the Scarbrough native in his first home game with his new team.
“The arena structure make’s it seem like it’s even louder,” said Gray. “The energy is great, especially knowing most of the people in the stands.”
Tevian Jones hit a clutch triple to win the game, as the Shooting Stars were the first team to hit 95 points. His family was cheering him on loudly in the audience, which helped motivate the Arizona native.
“It was very important to have them in the stands. I feel like that’s a big part in why I play,” said Jones.
For Scarborough Head Coach Devan Blair, it was a great moment to win the first home game with his new team.
“My head coach with the Knicks (DeSagana Diop) came for this game, so being able to make him proud is pretty cool.”
Blair admitted that he is still trying to find a groove with his rotations, and mentioned the difficulties of not having the entire lineup available due to G League commitments or other factors.
“In the first half, they shot 50% from the three, and that dropped to a little over 25% in the second half,” said Blair. “I thought we did a great job flying around and contesting out late when we needed too.”
Drake was in attendance, sitting with his OVO team, including team owner Niko Carino, to celebrate the championship banner night. Drake and “OVO Niko” have been friends since childhood, and Carino helped push Drake to becoming a global icon in the music industry.
Scarborough Shooting Stars’ next game: AT Brampton Honey Badgers (2-1) at 8:30ET. You can watch all the action free on CEBL+
Great article Jordan Jacklin !