The Eastern Conference leading Niagara River Lions (5-3) welcome the Montréal Alliance (3-6) to the Meridian Centre on Friday night for the second of three regular season matchups.

Live coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. ET, available on CEBL+, TSN+, and on the CEBL mobile app available for iOS and Android devices.

It’s been less than a week since Niagara and Montreal last faced off and the squads have each gone 1-1 since that meeting. Coincidentally, both picked up wins at the expense of the defending champion Scarborough Shooting Stars.

The previous contest between the two teams saw the River Lions walk away with a commanding 94-80 victory thanks to dynamic guard play and effective defence. Niagara’s offence was taken care of by the duo of Jahvon Blair, who finished with 21 points with four made triples, and Omari Moore who recorded one of just five triple-doubles in CEBL history (16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists).

The import who’s coming off an impressive NBA G League season with the Raptors 905 also spearheaded the defensive front. Moore finished with five steals and three blocks, leading a River Lions squad that held the Alliance to 37 per cent from the field and 29 per cent from downtown.

Niagara did lose its next game following that victory but bounced back in a big way on Wednesday by snagging a win over the Shooting Stars. The 81-78 victory broke a tie between the squads, lifting the River Lions into first place in the Eastern Conference.

The narrow victory saw the season-debut of former league MVP Khalil Ahmad and the import did not disappoint. He finished with a team-high 18 points coming off the bench, none of those baskets more important than the final one, as Ahmad hit the game-winning three. A fitting return for the CEBL’s two-time, and reigning, Clutch Player of the Year.

On the other side, Montréal has looked sharper as of late as they’ve gone 2-2 ever since their 0-3 start. The Alliance, since taking on the River Lions, toppled the Shooting Stars but most recentlyost to the Brampton Honey Badgers. The loss was a bit of a missed opportunity to separate Montréal from Brampton and Ottawa who sit at the bottom of the pack in the East.

Instead, the Alliance are now just half a game ahead of the Honey Badgers clinging onto third seed.

The 85-79 loss on Wednesday saw Montréal’s offence sputter yet again. It’s been a theme of inconsistency this year for the Championship Weekend hosts as they’ve gone up-and-down from game to game, looking great offensively one night and struggling the next. And against Brampton it was the latter as Montréal finished the game shooting 39 per cent from the field.

What has remained consistent for the Alliance is the strong play of Chris Smith and Jordan Bowden. The duo lead Montréal in scoring this season, and against Brampton, accounted for over 50 per cent of the team’s point production as Smith put up 24 and Bowden finished with 16.

Key Matchup

In a game filled with plenty of dynamism in the backcourt, the matchup that might swing things the most is between two forwards. Keep an eye on what goes on between Montréal’s Smith and Niagara’s Nathan Cayo.

Last time out, Smith finished with just nine points on 3-of-12 shooting from the field. But beyond the lack of offensive production, it was a lack of discipline defensively that really cost his team. The forward fouled out in just 23 minutes of action, taking away one of the Alliance’s best scorers and rebounders.

Throughout the season, Smith has shown a tendency to rack up avoidable fouls. Yet when he remains disciplined on that end, like he has the past two games, his impact is undeniable. Evidenced by back-to-back 24-point performances.

Meanwhile, if Cayo can force the issue and get Smith into foul trouble again, it could lead to even more success for Niagara. The forward finished with a modest, yet impactful 15 points and three rebounds against his former squad in their previous face-off.