OSHAWA, Ont. - The Centennial Colts are the 2015 David Stewart Tip-Off Tournament champions.
Having won the tournament four previous times (1978, 2007, 2011, 2013), the Colts aren't strangers to the championship game. With its 67-55 win on Saturday over the St. Clair Saints, Centennial has also won the event twice in the past three years.
After the first quarter the Saints were ahead 18-17, but at halftime Centennial had taken a 32-31 lead.
Their largest lead of the game was 15 points, 54-39, which came in the third quarter. Heading into the final quarter break the Saints had closed the gap to 10 points, 54-44 for the Colts.
Leading Centennial to the victory was Javier Marquez with 19 points and six rebounds, while tournament MVP Paul Walwyn had 18 points and four rebounds.
Trevon Mollison, who was named to the tournament all-star team, led St. Clair with 14 points and three rebounds in the final, while Lance Drummond added 10 points and four boards.
Centennial earned its way to the championship game by defeating the Fanshawe Falcons 83-57 and St. Lawrence Vikings 75-69.
The host Durham Lords opened the weekend with a 92-71 loss to the Niagara Knights, but rebounded Saturday morning by narrowly defeating the George Brown Huskies 77-75 to advance to the consolation final.
Up against the Lambton Lions, the Lords were unable to rebound from a dismal third quarter, in which they were outscored 22-5. Durham lost the game 76-62.
At halftime the two teams were tied 32-32, but even winning the fourth quarter 25-22 over the Lions couldn't erase the deficit suffered in the third quarter.
Veteran forward Darian Rowe (Maple, Ont.) led the team in the consolation final with 16 points and four rebounds, while Rashaun Bennett (Scarborough, Ont.) just missed a double-double with 13 points and eight rebounds. Bennett was also named to the tournament all-star team.
Durham will now prepare to open their OCAA season on Wednesday when they travel to Barrie to take on the Georgian Grizzlies. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
Tournament MVP
Paul Walwyn - Centennial Colts
Tournament All-Stars
Kendell Wilson - Centennial Colts
Patrick Donnelly - St. Clair Saints
Trevon Mollison - St. Clair Saints
Rashaun Bennett - Durham Lords
Mike Lucier - Lambton Lions
Source: Durham College