Staff Writer, Cameron Burgess - June 17, 2019

Game Summary – Guelph Nighthawks vs. Niagara River Lions (June 14th)

The Guelph Nighthawks kicked off a busy weekend with a trip to Niagara to face the River Lions on Friday night, but came up just short in a 112-109 loss.

Myck Kabongo got the Nighthawks on the board early with a pair of free throws, but the River Lions dominated the game early on in the first quarter. They responded by scoring 20 straight points on their way to a 29-15 lead through the opening quarter.  The River Lions continued to play well in the second quarter, eventually pulling ahead of the Nighthawks by 27 points in the final minutes of the opening half. A slow start for Guelph translated into a 21-point deficit at halftime, with the Nighthawks trailing 60-39 at the break.

The Nighthawks began their comeback attempt in the third quarter and were able to outscore the River Lions 27-22 in the quarter, but still had a big deficit to overcome. Luckily, the team saved their best for last with a strong fourth quarter.  Guelph scored 10 straight points in the middle of the quarter and were able to bring the score within 10 points, trailing 99-89 with 2:41 left in the game. While the Nighthawks seemed to finally hit their stride over the final few minutes of the game, the clock became an issue. Guelph was able to get the game within three points, but that was as close as they would come.

Despite the loss, there was still a good reason for Nighthawks fans to be excited. Marcus Lewis made his debut for the team and finished with 26 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Lewis was one of six Nighthawks players who recorded double digits in points in the loss.

The River Lions offense was led by Kassius Robertson with 20 points, two rebounds and three assists off the bench, while Nem Mitrovic scored 19 and Trae Bell-Haynes finished with 18 points.

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