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Riders beat Lions to face Bombers in Western final
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Riders beat Lions to face Bombers in Western final

In their first home playoff game since 2021, the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the British Columbia Lions 28-19 on Saturday in the West Division semi-final.

The Riders will now travel to Winnipeg to face the first-place Blue Bombers in the West Division final on November 9. The winner of this game will qualify for the Gray Cup on November 17 in Vancouver.

Holding a 20-19 lead in the fourth quarter, the Riders scored nine points when Jerreth Sterns caught a 13-yard pass from Trevor Harris with 3:30 left in the period. A two-point conversion, with Harris connecting with KeeSean Johnson, made it 28-19 for Saskatchewan.

The Riders sealed the win with steals on back-to-back BC possessions. Safety Nelson Lokombo had his first CFL interception with four minutes remaining and defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. slammed the door with a pick in the Saskatchewan end zone with 47 seconds left.

A 17-yard field goal from Sean White a minute into the fourth quarter cut the Riders’ lead to 20-19.

Whyte cut Saskatchewan’s lead to 20-16 with a 36-yard field goal with 5:38 left in the third quarter. He had a chance to cut the lead a few minutes later, but his 38-yard attempt hit the right upright for a miss.