Vancouver Bandits Rout Niagara River Lions on Canada Day

Bounce back Bandits. 

Coming off their worst performance of the season less than 48 hours earlier, the Bandits had a chance to get right back at it, hosting the Niagara River Lions on Monday afternoon at Langley Events Centre (LEC) in a Canada Day game broadcast coast-to-coast on TSN. 

And judging by the end result, it would appear that the Bandits learned a valuable lesson as they overcame an early 10-point deficit to win convincingly, 105-83. 

Vancouver improved to 9-3 – tied for the best mark in the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s Western Conference with their next opponent (who also beat them convincingly in the Bandits’ last game – while the Eastern Conference-leading River Lions’ record slipped to 7-5. 

“We knew what we needed to do. Mainly just keeping our character in check. Making sure we keep our heads up and our chests out and take it one play at a time. Can’t worry about nobody else, honestly,” said the Bandits’ Tazé Moore on the team’s mindset when they trailed 21-11 early. 

“The other game, we came out complaining, crying, running to the refs after every problem. The only way to beat us, is us. So, we just have to keep the guys together, including myself being the head of the snake and everything, trying to make sure everybody stays on one accord, and we just take it one play at a time and just keep going,” he said. 

“At the end of the day, you take wins, you take losses. That is what helps you be a winner, that is what teaches you how to win over time.” 

After trimming the first quarter deficit down to three points, the Bandits turned the game in the next 10 minutes as they took an 11-point lead to the locker room thanks to a stifling defence which held Niagara to 3-for-17 shooting from the field (17.6 per cent) in the quarter. 

The River Lions did pull to within four points early in the third quarter only to watch Vancouver respond with a 19-4 run to end the period, re-establishing a double-digit lead the rest of the way. 

Sparking the run was a Zach Copeland ‘three’ – one of 15 the team hit – which River Lions’ coach Victor Raso called “ridiculous.” 

“You have to give them credit; those guys shot the heck out of the ball,” Raso said. “They made their open ones and they made some really tough ones.” 

As a team, Vancouver shot 52.1 per cent from the field, including 15-for-32 (46.9 per cent) from downtown. The 15 made threes were a season high. 

Koby McEwen led all scorers with 22 points, all of which came in the first half as the Bandits guard picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter. Copeland and Nick Ward added 18 points and Moore had his second triple double of the season with 21 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds. 

Bandits coach and general manager Kyle Julius said he told Moore to be in attack mode and not wait for the game to come to him. 

“When he does that, he makes everyone better,” Julius said. “(And) I thought that was a complete team win. The energy was there.” 

And with his team in foul trouble – three players had four fouls in the second half – Julius said the team’s bench gave a great lift. “The guys were called up and they were ready.” 

Vancouver’s bench came through with both valuable minutes and some scoring: James Karnik had 10 points and six rebounds and Diego Maffia finished with nine points, three rebounds and

three assists, with all of his game time coming in the second half. 

But while the offence tends to get the accolades, Moore said it has been the defence setting the tone.

“We want to make guys make plays; make them think a little bit more, being a little bit more aggressive,” he said. “As long as we are the ones being aggressive, and we are the ones punching, I think we are going to win every game, honestly.” 

Niagara was led by 18 points apiece from Khalil Ahmad and TJ Lall. The team shot 38 per cent from the field, including just 5-for-23 (22 per cent) from beyond the arc. 

“Mental toughness. It has been happening to us for a while now. Things don’t go our way and we don’t handle it properly. We don’t handle the ups and the downs of a game very well. We let a bad call, or a really difficult shot influence three of the next plays, and it is unacceptable, honestly,” Raso said. 

“It is incredibly frustrating and honestly if it doesn’t get fixed quickly then I have to fix it and I don’t have a lot of time in a short season like this to get guys to play the game mentally the right way.” 

“If our guys don’t respond, then I will have to make changes really quick.” 

Up next for the Bandits is a huge showdown in Edmonton against the Stingers on Friday (July 5) with top spot in the Western Conference on the line. 

Following its upcoming road trip, Vancouver will return home to LEC for a rematch versus the Saskatchewan Rattlers. Sporting a 1-1 record against the Rattlers so far this season, the Bandits will look to maintain important ground in a competitive CEBL western conference.