Lions shake off to defeat Cañeros

LA ROMANA.- The Leones de Santo Domingo stopped a four-game losing streak by defeating the Cañeros del Este 87-84, in a game held this Thursday at the Eleoncio Mercedes Sports Center corresponding to the 2026 season of La Súper Liga de la LNB. Kerry Richardson scored 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Lions (2-5), while Gerardo Suero contributed 18 units and 5 steals, Reggie Quezada finished with 16 in scoring, 8 assists and 5 steals. Romaine Thomas added 14 points and 9 boards.

For the Cañeros (3-5), who saw their winning streak stopped at two, Martin Smith Jr. scored 18 units, Corey Boyd got 15 with 12 rebounds, Brayan Martínez added 12 points and Matt Herasme 9 with 6 assists.

After falling behind by 10 in the third period, the Cañeros came back in the final quarter. Five straight points, three from Smith Jr., two from Martínez and two from Boyd, put the orange team ahead 78-73 with 3:32 remaining. However, the Lions responded with a 12-0 rally that was completed with two free throws by Suero and the scoreboard showed 85-78 with 1:24 on the clock. The home team did not give up and with a three-pointer by Smith Jr. the game was 84-85 with 25 seconds left to play. With 3.9 seconds left, Luixander Blanco fouled Gerardo Suero, who from the free throw line scored the two that ended up sealing the victory for the capital team, as Herasme missed a three-point attempt just before the final buzzer sounded. The first partial was won 22-19 by the Cañeros, with the support of 7 units from Lazar Lugic and 5 from Smith Jr. Richardson stepped up for the Leones by scoring 7 points and grabbing 4 rebounds. With 4:41 of the second quarter, Herasme scored a three-pointer and the Cañeros pulled away 34-27. The reds responded with seven consecutive points and tied 34-34 with a tap by Richardson, with 2:15. Smith Jr. scored in the last second and the half ended 44-39 for the Cañeros. Smith Jr. excelled with 12 units, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in the first 20 minutes of action. Lugic scored 7 points and Herasme 6 to support the Cañeros. Richardson scored 9 points and grabbed 7 boards for the Leones, who also had 9 points from Thomas. Gerardo Suero’s layup with 8:21 left in the third quarter completed an 11-0 run for the Leones, who went ahead 50-44. With 4:59, Richardson made two free throws and the lead increased to 60-50. The Cañeros got closer at 59-62 with a layup by Dominique Tham with 2:10, but the Leones were ahead 66-60 after three periods. The partials concluded 19-22, 20-22, 27-16 and 21-24 for the Lions. This Friday’s session Los Reales de La Vega host the Héroes de Moca, starting at 8:00 PM, at the Palacio de los Deportes Fernando Teruel, while the Gigantes Basketball Club will play against the Metros de Santiago at the Mario Ortega in San Francisco de Macorís at 8:30 PM.