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A's Triumph over River Lions

January 22, 2016 - National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada)
Orangeville A's News Release


ATHLETE INSTITUTE FIELDHOUSE, ORANGEVILLE, ON.

After a string of tough losses against the Lightning, Orangeville (2-5) entered tonight's game with hopes of ending their three game skid against the Niagara River Lions (3-7). The A's hosted the River Lions at the Athlete Institute for the first time this season, with their previous meeting resulting in an A's win at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, On.

As soon as the ball was tipped, Orangeville played the 1st quarter like a team on a mission. After taking an early 12 point lead with 7:04 to play in the quarter, the A's made sure to give the home fans something to cheer about. In what was a balanced scoring effort, the A's had 4 players who finished the quarter with more than 4 points. The final tally of the 1st quarter was 25-20 for the A's.

Orangeville put on a fantastic defensive effort through the first 24 minutes, holding the River Lions to only 33% shooting on the half, including 13% from 3 PT. The A's held their own on the offensive side of the ball, with Whitfield and Moss finishing the half with a combined 24 points. On another positive note, the A's continued to show improvement to their long range attack, finishing the half with 38% on 3 PT shooting. The A's didn't let up and finished the half with a lead of 4 points, 45-41.

Once the second half resumed, Orangeville continued to push the offensive tempo. With 6:44 to play in the 3rd, Orangeville held a 6 point lead over the River Lions, 61-55. A's player Flenard Whitfield had the hot shooting hand, dropping 11 points in the 3rd quarter alone. Orangeville finished the 3rd quarter with a comfortable 16 point lead, 75-59.

As the 4th quarter began, the Niagara River Lions started to make their final surge, bringing the A's lead to as little as 8 points with 8:05 to play in the game, 78-70. The River Lions played a competitive 4th quarter, Niagara's Marcus Lewis hit two threes in the quarter and finished the game with 23 points. Despite the 4th quarter efforts of the River Lions, Orangeville held strong and won the game by 7 points; 97-90.

The A's had another solid effort form their two leading scorers, Whitfield and Moss. Whitfield finished the night with a game high 25 points, along with 9 rebounds. Orangeville dominated the glass outrebounding the River Lions 70 to 53. Justin Moss was a beast on the glass, and finished with a game-high 18 rebounds.

Orangeville will have little time to rest before their next game, where they will be heading on the road to face the London Lightning at the Budweiser Gardens on Saturday, January 23rd. Their next home game is next Friday, January 29th at 7:00 pm against the Moncton Miracles. Come out and support your A's at the Athlete Institute Fieldhouse! Head to asbasketball.ca or nblcanada.com for more information on how to keep up with the A's and get tickets of your own!

Flen Whitfield (left) and Bilal Benn (right) rise up on the Niagara River Lions in their 97-90 win at Athlete Institute!

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National Basketball League of Canada Stories from January 22, 2016


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