RATTLERS DROP FOURTH IN A ROW AT SUMMER SERIES

RIVER LIONS 81 BLACKHAWKS 79

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. – Trae Bell-Haynes scored his team’s final five points including the winning bucket to finish with 15 points, and the Niagara River Lions earned an 81-79 comeback victory over the Ottawa BlackJacks on Tuesday in the Canadian Elite Basketball League Summer Series.

Bell-Haynes finished a three-point play after being fouled on a layup to tie the score 79-79, then won the game with another drive to the basket, completing the game with a wild Elam Ending.

Kassius Robertson had 28 points while Daniel Mullings added 11 for the River Lions (2-4), who trailed by as much as 15 points in the first quarter before clawing their way back.

Johnny Berhanemeskel had a team-high 18 points for the BlackJacks (2-3). Munis Tutu chipped in 15 points.

The CEBL uses the Elam Ending scoring format, meaning every game produces a game-winning shot. At the first stoppage of play in the final four minutes, nine points is added to the leading team’s score. The first team to hit that mark is the winner.

The game was tied 71-71 at the first stoppage, making it a race to 80 on Tuesday.

Elam scoring was used for the most recent NBA all-star game, which ended in free throws.

The CEBL Summer Series is a 26-game, round-robin competition being held at the Meridian Centre and will decide the second-year league’s 2020 champion. Games are being played with no fans in attendance.

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HONEY BADGERS 86 RATTLERS 73

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. – Jean-Victor Mukama dropped 28 points to help lift Hamilton over Saskatchewan in a battle of runs.

Briante Weber and Kalif Young added 13 points apiece for the Honey Badgers (3-3), who led by 16 after the first quarter only to be outscored 22-5 in the second and trail by one at the break.

Negus Webster-Chan scored 18 points for the Rattlers (1-4), who hung around until a late surge from Hamilton in the fourth put them away.

Saskatchewan has lost four in a row.

(Canadian Press/CEBL PR)