Growlers put halt to winless ways with resounding victory over Rattlers

It has been a long time coming for the Newfoundland Growlers, but they finally earned their first victory in the CEBL defeating the Saskatchewan Rattlers 83-60 on Sunday in St. John's, N.L.

Coming into the game, the expansion team (1-10) had suffered a 51-point loss to the Edmonton Stingers on Thursday in a season that has consisted of both blow outs and tightly-contested losses.

The Rattlers (7-5) on the other hand, had their 4-game win streak snapped, which included a 19-point victory over the Growlers.

The opening half was close throughout, with the largest lead of the game being just five points, as Saskatchewan took a one-point lead going into the break.

In the third quarter, the Growlers went on a 9-2 run courtesy of three three-pointers on four possessions, to turn a tied score into a nine-point advantage.

Although the Rattlers had their moments in cutting the deficit down to three, Newfoundland did not allow them to get any closer as they went into the fourth up 59-53.

The final frame presented a side of the Growlers the league has yet to see in their inaugural season.

Newfoundland outscored Saskatchewan 24-7, as it converted its 17-point edge going into the Elam Ending, into a 23-point victory.

Brandon Sampson led the way with 22 points, with Terry Thomas recording 18 points and nine rebounds. Shaquille Keith added 16 points off the bench.

The Rattlers, who were without leading scorer Tony Carr, were led by Scottie Lindsey's 13 and Devonte Bandoo's 10.

Newfoundland will look to build on its newfound momentum when it next plays the Fraser Valley Bandits on Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, Saskatchewan next plays the Ottawa BlackJacks where hopes for a bounce-back win will be high on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

All games can be streamed live on CBCSports.ca, CBC Sports App, and CBC Gem.

WATCH | CEBL on CBC: Newfoundland Growlers vs. Saskatchewan Rattlers:

River Lions erase 17-point deficit in comeback win

Khalil Ahmad and Antonio Davis Jr. scored a combined 45 points as the Niagara River Lions erased a 17-point deficit to edge the Fraser Valley Bandits 102-99 on Sunday in Langley, B.C.

The Bandits (8-4) started out strong, turning a 10-7 lead into a 29-18 advantage coming out of the opening frame.

In the second, the River Lions (8-4) had nothing going, as they could not do enough to cut the lead to under 10 points and being down by as much as 17.

The third quarter is where the game completely changed.

Down 13 coming into the frame, the River Lions outscored the Bandits 32-21, which included a 17-4 run, as Niagara cut the deficit to just two going into the fourth.

In the final frame, the River Lions outscored Fraser Valley 21-13 going into the Elam Ending, where they kept the Bandits from taking another lead.

Ahmad led Niagara with 23, while Davis Jr. scored 22 to go along with 12 rebounds. Daniel Walden-Mullings contributed a double-double of his own with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Shane Gibson led Fraser Valley with 24 points, followed by Alex Campbell, who added 19. Starters Kyle Adnam (13), Murphy Burnatowski (13) and James Karnik (12) also reached tallied in the double digits.

Niagara will next host back-to-back champion Edmonton Stingers on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.

WATCH l CEBL: Niagara River Lions @ Fraser Valley Bandits:

Shooting Stars power past Alliance

Also on Sunday, Jalen Harris scored a game-high 19 points as the Scarborough Shooting Stars picked up their second straight win by way of a 78-68 victory over the Montreal Alliance on Sunday at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.

Scarborough (7-5), coming off a win against the second-seeded Fraser Valley Bandits, had four of five starters finish in doubles figures, as Isiaha Mike contributed 16 points, Kameron Chatman scored 15 and Kalif Young added 10.

The Alliance (3-9) struggled offensively as Ashley Hamilton and Nathan Cayo were the lone players to reach double-digits, scoring 15 and 11 points, respectively.

The Shooting Stars got out to a hot start, going up 27-18 after the opening frame and extending their lead to as much as 12 in the second.

A 5-0 run from Montreal that cut the deficit in half to just five, sparked a slight shift in momentum going into the second half.

Getting as close as three points of the lead, the Alliance struggled to find an answer to take the lead, as Scarborough held them at bay for the remainder of the way using a 5-0 run of its own to close out the game.

Scarborough will return to the court on Thursday as they host the Guelph Nighthawks at 8 p.m. ET. Montreal, meanwhile, will host the Hamilton Honey Badgers on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

WATCH | CEBL on CBC: Scarborough Shooting Stars vs. Montreal Alliance: