WELLAND, Ont. - For the first time since 1987, the Seneca Sting are the OCAA men's basketball gold medal champions. The Sting secured the provincial title after defeating the Humber Hawks 74-63 in the belairdirect OCAA Men's Basketball Championship final hosted by Niagara College in Welland, Ont. from Mar. 1-3.
Both programs clinch a spot in this year's Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men's Basketball National Championship located in Laval, Que.
The match-up featured two of the top defensive programs in the OCAA battling hard over the course of four quarters. At times throughout the back-and-forth affair, both teams seemed poised to take home the championship trophy. Both defences stood strong, limiting the offensive chances to a minimum, but in the end Seneca's speed and tenacity proved too much for Humber.
Seneca's Yusuf Ali (Toronto) was an offensive catalyst for the Sting throughout the tournament. In the gold medal final, the second-year standout posted a team-high 32 points and nine rebounds. His consistent production earned him the Championship MVP award. Seneca's Khalil Miller, Redeemer's Rayvon Higdon, Sheridan's Jemol Edwards and Humber's Kenny Ejim and CJ Bennett rounded out the 2018 OCAA Championship All-Star team.
Seneca's Player of the Game during the gold medal contest was awarded to first-year forward Nabil Ibraham (Richmond Hill) who hit two clutch three-pointers down the stretch to help his program capture the provincial gold. Ibraham finished with 13 points and six rebounds.
Humber's offence was led by third-year forward Bennett who finished with a team-high 20 points. DeQuon Cascart was named Humber's Player of the Game after notching 15 points and adding six rebounds.
SHERIDAN EARNS OCAA BRONZE MEDAL
Earlier in the evening the Sheridan Bruins captured the OCAA bronze medal, defeating the OCAA West Division champion Redeemer Royals 119-84. With the medal, Sheridan has now earned provincial hardware in back-to-back tournaments.
Both the Bruins and Royals came out of the gate swinging, each of their offences seemingly scoring on command. Back and forth the programs went, finishing the first quarter shootout with a seven-point Redeemer lead (37-30). Redeemer seemed to run out of gas in the second quarter, getting outscored 30-15 to end the half down by 10 (62-52).
The second half of the bronze medal match was all Sheridan, limiting their Ancaster-based opponent to a minimal 32 points while dropping 59 of their own.
The difference in the game was secondary scoring as Sheridan's bench outscored Redeemer's secondary unit 44-28. The Brampton-based program also won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding the Royals 48-38.
“We came out today and executed our game plan,” said Bruins' third-year guard Nick Campbell (Brampton). “We like to get a lot of shots up, and by the grace of God, they were going in.”
Sheridan's offence was firing on all cylinders Saturday night, with four players finishing with 18 or more points. Sheridan's Campbell was awarded the Player of the Game posting 18 points and six rebounds on 25 minutes of floor time.
Pacing the Royals' offence was fifth-year guard Rayvon Higdon (Rochester, N.Y.), finishing with a game-high 25 points and 11 rebounds. Royals' second-year guard, and West Division Defensive Player of the Year, Foster Brown (Stoney Creek) was named the program's Player of the Game after posting 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the losing effort.
The two programs will look to build on this year's overall performances when they open their 2018-19 regular seasons in October.
NIAGARA TAKES CONSOLATION FINAL
The final day of the belairdirect OCAA Men's Basketball Championship saw the hosting Niagara Knights defeat the Lambton Lions 89-83 in the tournament's consolation final. Saturday's match-up between the two West Division programs marks the end of the road for each program, as neither qualified for this year's CCAA Nationals in Laval, Que.
The game began as a back-and-forth affair, each team trading their respective blows. Knights' veteran guard Levi Mukuna was on fire in the first half of the game going 3-of-5 beyond the arc while attributing to 15 of his program's 42 first-half points. Lambton's offence looked stagnant, going down by 13 points at the end of the half.
The Lions' offence exploded in the third quarter, seemingly finding their ability to score on command. The major factor behind Lambton's potent third quarter was the impressive performances of guards Branden Padgett (Detroit, Mich.) and Jason Watts (Detroit, Mich.). The duo were deeply involved in Lambton's offensive push, combining for 21 of the team's 41 third-quarter points. By the end of the third, the momentum had shifted in favour of the Lions, putting the Sarnia-based program up by five (70-65).
Niagara found its rhythm in the final quarter, chipping away at the Lions' lead until both programs were tied at 76 a piece. The Knights' offence would do the rest of the work, collecting 13 of the last 22 points solidifying the victory.
Knights' head coach Mike Hurley was impressed with how his team competed even after losing their quarter-final to Seneca. “It was great to get the win against Lambton today,” said Hurley. “It showed great character coming back and finishing strong by winning our last two games of the year even after losing a heart-breaking game on Thursday to the No. 1-ranked team in the country. Our goal was to get to nationals but finishing the season as the fifth-best team in Ontario is definitely a great accomplishment and something to be proud about.”
Veteran guard Levi Mukuna was impressive in his last game as a Knight, earning Player of the Game honours posting a team-high 23 points and 11 rebounds. When asked about his experience representing the blue and white over the past five seasons, Mukuna was lost for words. “It has been an absolute privilege to be a Niagara Knight, and it meant so much to me to end my career with a home victory.”
Other impressive Knights' performances came from third-year players Van Hutchinson Jr. (Bahamas) and Jordan McDonald (Mississauga), both contributing 20-plus points to the winning cause.
Lambton's offence was led by its offensive duo of Padgett and Watts. In his final game as a Lion, Padgett posted a game-high 28 points. Watts was awarded Player of the Game honours after posting 20 points against the hosting Knights.
Both programs will be back in action when the new OCAA men's basketball season tips off in October.
Source: Niagara College
Championship Website: www.ocaa.com/mbb
Championship Webcast: www.livestream.com/accounts/15502389
Championship Results
Thursday, March 1
Quarter-Finals
Game 1: Redeemer 104, Lambton 89
Game 2: Humber 78, George Brown 73
Game 3: Seneca 84, Niagara 72
Game 4: Sheridan 67, Fanshawe 61
Friday, March 2
Consolation Round
Game 5: Lambton 92, George Brown 84
Game 6: Niagara 85,
Fanshawe 78
Semi-Finals
Game 7: Humber 84, Redeemer 75
Game 8: Seneca 89, Sheridan 81 (OT)
Saturday, March 3
Consolation Final
Game 9: Niagara 89, Lambton 83
Bronze Medal Match
Game 10: Sheridan 119, Redeemer 84
Gold Medal Match
Game 11: Seneca 74, Humber 63
- OCAA -
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