Cavs open 2023 with Statement Win

Tavon Mealy

The 2023 ECBL Champion Petersburg Cavaliers started the 2023 season just as they ended 2022 - winning and doing so decisively. A strong defensive effort shut down the paint as the offense racked up 136 points on the night. The game was never in doubt as the Cavs lead the Chosen Lions by as much as twenty in the first period before finishing the evening with a 136-93 win. The forty-three point victory was driven by the Cavs dominance on the boards. Petersburg racked up eighty-four combined offensive and defensive rebounds to the Chosen Lions' thirty-seven. And while the Lions strategy against the Cavs was centered on three point shooting, their opportunity for second chance baskets was virtually eliminated by the combination of limited players underneath and the smothering Cavs defense inside. The Lions dropped eighteen 3-pointers on the night accounting for nearly sixty percent of their total offense. But the inability to stop Petersburg's high octane offence and getting shoved off the glass in virtually every possession, the Lions were forced to play catch-up within minutes of the tip-off. Jordan Jones led the Lions with 24 points, including five three-pointers. Seven Cavaliers were in double digits while with four pulling off a double-double; Tavon Mealy (6'3''-F-1995, college: Virginia Union) with 31 points and 14 rebounds, Everett Patterson (6'3''-G) with 17 points and 10 rebounds, Deshawn Morman with 14 points and 12 rebounds and Elijah Moore (6'8''-F-1995, college: Virginia St.) with 11 points and 14 rebounds including 10 rebounds in the first half. Petersburg racked up 136 points without one of its three all-stars returning for the opening game. Moore and Mealy put on an impressive performance in the opener while Walter Williams is currently playing overseas. With one of its top all-stars currently unavailable; both Moore and Mealy made it clear that regardless of the lineup, the 2023 road to the championship may well still come through Petersburg.
Courtesy of: ECBL