River Lions roll past winless Rattlers to remain perfect at home

The Niagara River Lions led wire-to-wire against the Saskatchewan Rattlers on Tuesday night to claim a 86-74 victory and remain undefeated at home, improving to 3-0 at the Meridian Centre this season.

Ajax, Ont., native Jaylen Babb-Harrison led Niagara (5-3) with a game-high 25 points while shooting 5-of-8 from three-point range.

Javin Delaurier collected a game-high 11 rebounds and was second on the team with 17 points. The American forward entered the game with a league-leading 11.1 rebounds per game.

The River Lions led 17-13 after the opening quarter and created further separation in the second to establish a 40-32 halftime lead.

The Rattlers (0-9) were led by another standout performance from Mississauga, Ont., native Devonte Bandoo, who finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Bandoo also matched Babb-Harrison by hitting five three-pointers of his own, but Saskatchewan couldn't gain any traction on its comeback attempt and entered the fourth quarter trailing 64-51.

The River Lions held the Rattlers off to enter the Elam Ending with a 77-67 lead, where Guillaume Boucard ultimately sealed the victory with a game-winning free throw to reach the target score. The Montreal native also led all players with six assists.

Saskatchewan will aim for its first win against the Guelph Nighthawks (2-6) in a road game this Thursday, while Niagara will host the Ottawa BlackJacks (3-5) this Saturday.