The Niagara River Lions became the first CEBL team this season to clinch a playoff berth with a 83-77 win over the Montreal Alliance Thursday night at Meridian Centre. Photo Credit: River Lions/Facebook
Javon Blair led the way with 21 points as Niagara improved to (11-5), (7-0) at home, and won their fourth straight game overall.
On Wednesday, Niagara also announced the signing of 6’5 American forward, Scottie Lewis. Lewis, a 24 year-old from the Bronx, New York averaged 3.3 points, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks during the 2023-24 NBA G-League season playing for both the Salt Lake City Stars and the Rip City Remix.
“I am excited to add Scottie to our roster as we make our final push towards a championship,” River Lions head coach and general manager Victor Raso said.
“Scottie is a very talented basketball player and gifted athlete, who can really impact the game, especially on the defensive end. He will contribute in a valuable role for us down the stretch and we are happy to welcome him to the River Lions family.”
Lewis played two seasons with the Florida Gators, averaging 8.2 points, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks over 51 games. This was enough to earn Lewis a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2020. Lewis came to the Gators as a solidified 5 star recruit being ranked in the top 10 of the 2019 recruiting class by ESPN, 247Sports, and Rivals. Lewis was also a McDonald’s All-American in his senior year of high school proving that he deserved a spot amongst other top recruits. As a Sophomore Lewis declared for the NBA Draft and was selected as the 56th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets.
Lewis started his professional career as a member of the Charlotte Hornets NBA Summer League team in 2021 where he made an instant impact averaging 8.5 points, 3.3 assists and 1.8 blocks over 4 games. Over this stretch Lewis shot 50% from the field, 60% from three, and 100% from the stripe showing that he could be an efficient scorer in addition to his defensive presence. This summer league performance earned Lewis an opportunity with the Charlotte Hornets NBA roster where he had limited minutes over 2 games. After his stint in the NBA, Lewis has made appearances for the Greensboro Swarm, Rip City Remix, and Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G-League.
Lewis joins the River Lions this summer hoping to showcase his abilities and help the River Lions make it to Championship Weekend. “I’m super excited for the opportunity that the River Lions have given me and I’m even more excited to contribute and learn from an already established and successful team,” said Lewis. I’m here to win.”
Lewis looked rusty in his Niagara debut Thursday night scoring zero points in eight minutes of action.
The River Lions entertain the Edmonton Stingers Sunday afternoon. Tip is set for 3 pm.
Tickets are available at riverlions.ca
Rod Mawhood is a lifelong Niagara native who has had the pleasure of working in all three mediums – Radio, Print and TV – for over 20 years. His first announcing gig was with the then St. Catharines Stompers. Since then he’s worked in radio and TV in Toronto, and currently is the announcer for the Niagara IceDogs and Niagara River Lions.
Rod also covers the Buffalo Bills for FOX Sports and the Buffalo Sabres for NBC Sports.
