The Fanshawe Falcons entered the OCAA Championship as the team to beat sporting a perfect 14-0 regular season record. The Championship proved to be no different as the Falcons completed the perfect season capturing the gold medal defeating the St. Lawrence Vikings 71-65 in the final.

On their march to their sixth provincial title, the Falcons were forced to face the top three teams in the East Region. In their opening two games Fanshawe looked very impressive downing the Cambrian Golden Shield 77-49 and the Algonquin Thunder 77-60. Fanshawe controlled both games from start to finish as they held 16 and 8-point half-time leads.

In the gold medal final, it seemed as if Fanshawe was going to soar away with the title as they started off holding a 34-25 lead heading into the locker room at the half. Making an adjustment to break Fanshawe’s zone defense, the Vikings began to chip away at the Falcon lead early in the second half. As the Vikings inched closer, Fanshawe always appeared to have an answer to hold off the surging Vikings. At one point, the Falcons seemed to have sunk the Viking’s ship after a Pat Sewell alley-oop gave them an eight-point lead. With their backs against the wall, St. Lawrence stormed back with a run of their own to tie the score at 58 points apiece with three minutes remaining. The teams continued their see-saw battle, when Jabari Cooper of the Falcons hit a clutch three-pointer to give the Falcons the lead that they would not relinquish. At the final buzzer, the crowd applauded both teams for their terrific play throughout the tournament as Fanshawe players, staff and supporters stormed the court.

Both teams were excellent from the free throw line in the second half as St. Lawrence went 12/14 while Fanshawe went 10/10 from the charity stripe, including four straight free throws from Adrian Pytka in the final minutes of the game.

OCAA Player of the Year Pat Sewell finished the tournament with a double-double in all three games, earning Tournament MVP honours. Sewell finished with an average of 18.7 points per game and 11 rebounds per game. Teammate Adrian Pytka was also named to the Championship All-Star team for his clutch performances. Pytka was bestowed Player of the Game honours in the gold medal game as he scored 19 points to go along with his 7 rebounds.

The Vikings played impressive basketball over the course of the tournament to upset the number one seed Humber Hawks and the number four ranked St. Clair Saints. The Vikings bring home their first medal in Men’s Basketball since 1995 (Gold - Division II). In the gold medal game, Milton Holness finished with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal; while being named to the Championship All-Star Team. Teammate Mathieu Riendeau finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds and was also named a Championship All-Star.

The Bronze medal game saw Humber College bounce back from their semi-final loss to capture the honour 62-52 over Algonquin College. Humber starters Chris Thompson and Kerlon Cadougan had a well-balanced game for Humber recording 14 points apiece. Jadwey Hemmings also made a significant impact on the court with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals for the Hawks. CCAA All-Canadian Ahmed Eman led all Algonquin scorers with 23 points. The bronze medal marks Humber’s 17th consecutive medal in Men’s Basketball. They have won nine gold medals, five silver medals and two bronze medals over the 17 year stretch.

Championship All Star Team:
Algonquin - Ahmed Eman
Humber - Chris Thompson
St. Lawrence - Milton Holness
St. Lawrence - Mathieu Riendeau
Fanshawe - Adrian Pytka

Championship MVP:
Fanshawe – Pat Sewell

OCAA Championship Final Standings:
1. Fanshawe Falcons
2. St. Lawrence Vikings
3. Humber Hawks
4. Algonquin Thunder

Prior to the start of the championship, the league all-stars, scoring champions, rookie of the year and coaches of the year awards were announced. The OCAA was proud to announce that Fanshawe’s Pat Sewell was named OCAA Player of the Year as well as being named a part of the CCAA All-Canadian Team. Algonquin’s Ahmed Eman was also named as a CCAA All-Canadian. To view all of the award winners, please visit OCAA.com.

DAY ONE RESULTS
Game 1 - Humber defeated Niagara 85-69
Game 2 - St. Lawrence (K) defeated St. Clair 76-70 (OT)
Game 3 - Fanshawe defeated Cambrian 77-49
Game 4 - Algonquin defeated Sheridan 92-77

DAY TWO RESULTS
Semi-final #1: St. Lawrence (K) defeated Humber 72-68
Semi-final #2: Fanshawe defeated Algonquin 77-60

FINAL DAY RESULTS
Bronze Medal Game – Humber defeated Algonquin 62-52
Gold Medal Game – Fanshawe defeated St. Lawrence (K) 71-65