CEBL: Hamilton Honey Badgers at Niagara River Lions

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. (Interstat) — The Hamilton Honey Badgers visit the Niagara River Lions on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at Meridian Centre in a matchup of two Canadian Elite Basketball League teams jostling for position near the bottom of the standings.

Hamilton (9-11) enters with momentum after a 105-98 road win Sunday over Ottawa, snapping a two-game skid. Niagara (8-12) has won its last two (Interstat) — a 90-87 home victory over Montreal on July 12 and a 98-89 win over Scarborough on July 10.

The Honey Badgers are led by forward Trentyn Flowers, who has averaged 23.5 points over his last four games. In Sunday’s win at Ottawa, Flowers logged 32 minutes, scoring 31 points with six rebounds and four assists. He had 20 points, nine rebounds and three assists in a 92-86 loss at Montreal on July 10, and 21 points, six rebounds and two assists in a 99-95 home loss to Scarborough on July 5. Flowers also posted 22 points and six rebounds in an 81-76 home win over Ottawa on July 2.

For the River Lions, guard Khalil Ahmad has been the offensive engine. He scored 28 points with two rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes against Montreal on July 12, and 23 points, three rebounds and seven assists in 30 minutes against Scarborough on July 10. Ahmad has been inconsistent this season (Interstat) — he scored 17 points in a 86-77 loss to Ottawa on July 4, but was limited to six points in a 96-86 loss at Montreal on June 26 and nine points in a 104-77 home loss to Saskatoon on June 19.

The teams have split their season series. Hamilton won 97-86 on June 5 at Meridian Centre, but Niagara answered with a 101-84 home win on June 15. The most recent meeting (Interstat) — a 0-0 result on July 14 (Interstat) — was listed with no details.

Thursday’s game tips off at 7 p.m. ET. Niagara plays next at home Saturday against Edmonton, while Hamilton visits Winnipeg on July 25.