Niagara River Lions beat Calgary Surge 79-73 to repeat as CEBL champions

The Niagara River Lions are once again kings of the Canadian Elite Basketball League jungle.

The River Lions, who finished first in the five-team Eastern Conference with a pedestrian 14-10 record, defeated the Calgary Surge 79-73 on Sunday at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg to win back-to-back titles.

The River Lions edged the Vancouver Bandits 97-95 in last year's championship final.

Finals MVP Khalil Ahmad led the River Lions with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Nathan Cayo had 14 points and six rebounds. Ahmed Hill chipped in with 13 points and six rebounds.

Sean Miller-Moore scored 19 points for the Surge, who had their seven-game win streak halted. Jameer Nelson Junior, Evan Gilyard and Khyri Thomas all scored 13 points for Calgary.

"It feels incredible. It really does," said River Lions head coach Victor Raso. "It's as special of a moment as I ever had as a coach. This one, for these guys, it just cemented them. I'm really happy for them."

"And he's (Ahmad) the greatest player to ever play in this league and he's just a phenomenal person, so he won't say all the things that I say, but that's the truth," Raso said.

Captain Kimbal Mackenzie echoed his coach's sentiment.

"(It's) getting a little bit ridiculous at this point, quite frankly," Mackenzie said. "When he (Ahmad) hit that shot against Scarborough (in the 93-91 East final victory), I was like, `How many times is this guy gonna do this?' He just has a knack for when those moments get big, just playing off his instincts."

Miller-Moore, the league's all-time leading Canadian scorer, came up just short at his third Championship Weekend.

"Every loss is a heartbreak. Even when we lose in the regular season, it's a heartbreak. So of course this was the last game