CEBL will give a double bye to either Hamilton Honey Badgers or Niagara River Lions in playoffs

Hamilton | Niagara | St Catharines | Basketball | Latest News | Sports |

By

Published July 21, 2022 at 4:57 pm

The Hamilton Honey Badgers and Niagara River Lions are vying for a double bye into the CEBL championship weekend next month.

The Canadian Elite Basketball League confirmed how its expanded postseason, which is incorporating a host team into its final four, will work next month. Either Hamilton (13-4) or Niagara (12-4) will be the No. 1 seed, based on who finishes first at the end of the regular season. That team would face the championship weekend-host Ottawa Blackjacks (5-12) in one of the semifinals on Aug. 12 at TD Place arena, with the final two days later.

The second-place team, along with third-place club, will host a quarterfinal on the Aug. 7 weekend. Their opponents will be determined by a pair of preliminary-round games between the four lowest-seed teams. Those are set for around Aug. 4.

That format means the Honey Badgers and floor leader Caleb Agada will have a potential semifinal preview when they visit Ottawa on Sunday (July 24, 2 p.m.). The River Lions and CEBL scoring leader Khalil Ahmad have a pair of potential playoff previews on tap, albeit on their home court at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines. Niagara hosts the currently fourth-place Scarborough Shooting Stars (9-7) on Friday and the third-place Fraser Valley Bandits (10-7) on Monday. Both are 7 p.m. starts.

And, of course, Hamilton and Niagara will meet in a home-and-home on the Civic Holiday weekend to decide the No. 1 seed. They meet in St. Catharines on July 29, and back at FirstOntario Centre two days later in a nationally televised 2 p.m. start on CBC.

Two of the Honey Badgers’ Canadian guards have signed contracts to play in Europe this season.

Rookie Koby McEwen has signed his first overseas contract. The Toronto native who has had some impressive run as a lead guard when needed, will be joining the Norrköping Dolphins in Sweden. McEwen, who turns 25 next week, is averaging 12.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals for Hamilton while shooting a team-best 43 per cent on three-pointers.

Guard Keevan Veinot, who was Hamilton’s first-round choice in the CEBL U Sports draft from the Dalhousie Tigers last year, will be taking his talents to Aris Leeuwarden in the Netherlands. Veinot, 23, has helped Hamilton enjoy stability from their second unit, averaging 6.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 17 minutes per game.

Previously, 6-of-7 CEBL teams made the playoffs. The league added three new teams this season, with the Montréal Alliance, Newfoundland Growlers and Scarborough Shooting Stars coming aboard for an even 10.

insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising