TORONTO - The 2018 belairdirect OCAA Women's Basketball Championship at Humber College Athletic Centre in Etobicoke, Ont., came to an end Sunday with the gold medal match-up between the host Humber Hawks (20-0, 1st West) and the Fanshawe Falcons (17-3, 2nd West). Taking a large lead in the first quarter, the Hawks rode their dominant offence to a 69-54 win, earning their record-tying fourth-straight provincial gold medal.
The Hawks got started early, scoring first in the quarter before jumping out to an 11-4 lead four minutes into the game. Despite the Falcons' best efforts, they could not stop the Hawks offence, who used two different 10-point runs to jump far ahead on the scoreboard, leading 26-8 entering the second.
Eager to not be left behind, the Falcons struck first in the second and kept pace with the Hawks through the first five minutes of the second, only being outscored 10-8. The Hawks tried to crank up the pressure, but the Falcons would ultimately match the Hawks in points during the second, staying 18 points behind the Hawks and entering the second half trailing 39-21.
Though the Hawks scored first in the third, the Falcons kept pushing, outpacing the Hawks through the majority of the quarter. Shrinking their deficit by six, the Falcons pulled within 12 points of the Hawks, who remained ahead by a score of 52-40 as both teams entered the final quarter of the OCAA season.
The beginning of the fourth and final quarter marked a sharp decline in offence for both teams, with the Hawks outscoring the Falcons 4-0 through the first four minutes. The Hawks then returned to their first quarter form, scoring 11 straight and taking the game in hand. Protecting their lead the rest of the way, the Hawks secured gold with a 69-54 victory, winning their fourth-straight provincial championship.
The Hawks finished shooting 33.3 per cent (28-of-84) from the field and making 20 per cent (5-of-25) of their three-point attempts. The Falcons went 28.6 per cent (20-of-70) from the field but notched 92.3 per cent (12-of-13) of their free throw shots.
Aleena Domingo led the Hawks offensively in their gold medal match, scoring 17 points and 14 rebounds for a double-double. Miea Campbell-Johnson, with 13 points and seven rebounds, was named the Player of the Game for Humber. Ceejay Nofuente, with 11 points and 13 rebounds, also finished with a double-double.
Leading the Falcons was Ali Vlasman, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Chuot Angou had 13 points and was named the Player of the Game for Fanshawe, while Mikhaila Wright had 10 points and a team-high three blocks.
Domingo and Leticia Lopez were named Championship All-Stars for Humber, and Wright and Vlasman were named All-Stars for Fanshawe. Nofuente of Humber was named the Championship MVP after the match.
MOHAWK CLAIMS BRONZE WITH WIN OVER NIAGARA
Day Three of the 2018 belairdirect OCAA Women's Basketball Championship at Humber College Athletic Centre in Etobicoke, Ont. continued Sunday afternoon with a bronze medal match-up between the Mohawk Mountaineers (17-3, 3rd West) and the Niagara Knights (14-6, 4th West). Overcoming a Knights team that challenged for the lead the entire game, the Mountaineers defeated the Knights 92-87 to take home the OCAA bronze medal.
The Mountaineers wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, quickly jumping to an eight-point lead. Outscored 14-4 in the first five minutes, the Knights fiercely retaliated, scoring eight straight points of their own. Despite the Knights' pressure, the Mountaineers finished the first quarter strong, taking a 26-18 lead into the second.
The Knights began the second cutting out a chunk from their deficit, scoring five straight points. The Mountaineers, finding their offensive rhythm, kept pace with the Knights for the remainder of the quarter. Only losing one point off their first quarter lead, the Mountaineers maintained their cushion and closed out the first half ahead 48-41.
The teams traded blows on the scoreboard in the third, with the Mountaineers scoring every time the Knights gained ground. Down by 11 halfway through the quarter, the Knights mounted a charge, outscoring the Mountaineers 17-8 through the remainder of the third, shrinking their deficit to two points at 68-66 before the fourth quarter.
Tying the game to start the fourth, the Knights then fell behind by five as the Mountaineers refused to surrender their lead. The Mountaineers fought to remain in front on the scoreboard, but the Knights crept back up, behind by one with less than five minutes remaining. From there, the Mountaineers regained control, surviving the Knights' final efforts and outscoring them 24-21 in the fourth to claim victory 92-87, winning the OCCA bronze medal.
The Mountaineers went 46.3 per cent (31-of-67) from the field during the game and made 33.3 per cent (7-of-21) of their three-point attempts. The Knights shot 37.5 per cent (30-of-80) from the field but converted on 55 per cent (11-of-20) of their three-point shots.
Stef Hrymak led the Mountaineers in scoring with 26 points en route to be named Mohawk's Player of the Game. Shanien O'Neill, who was named Mohawk's Championship All-Star, had 16 points for the Mountaineers. Abby Heron had 14 points, and Jasmina Kucic led her team in rebounds, with 10.
The Knights' leading scorer was Mary Ingribelli, who had 33 points and eight rebounds and was named both the Player of the Game for Niagara and their Championship All-Star. Kaitlyn Mahu had 18 points, and nine rebounds for the Knights and Rysa Delmundo had 14 points.
The Mountaineers victory in the bronze medal game gives them their fifth straight OCAA medal, after finishing with the silver medal the past four seasons.
ST. CLAIR BEATS GEORGE BROWN IN CONSOLATION FINAL
Day Three of the 2018 belairdirect OCAA Women's Basketball Championship at Humber College Athletic Centre in Etobicoke, Ont., kicked off Sunday with the St. Clair Saints (12-8, 5th West) facing off against the George Brown Huskies (15-2, 1st East) in a consolation final match-up. In an intense back and forth game that went right down to the wire, the Saints triumphed over the Huskies, winning the game 82-75 in overtime.
The Saints struck first in the match by opening the scoring, grabbing a small lead that they successfully held throughout the quarter. Though the Huskies kept close to the Saints on the scoreboard, they could not pull ahead, ending the first quarter behind 12-10.
In the second quarter, it was the Huskies who got things going, tying the game twice before pulling ahead on a three-point shot. The Saints briefly snatched the lead back before the Huskies roared ahead, going up by six points with two minutes remaining in the half. After a late Saints rally that cut the lead down to one, the Huskies scored six in the final minute to take a 31-24 lead into the second half.
The teams began the third quarter at a relatively even pace before the Huskies gradually pulled further ahead, outscoring the Saints 12-8 in the first five minutes. Scoring eight straight points, the Saints clawed their way back into contention, finishing the third behind by a single point, trailing 46-45 entering the fourth quarter.
The lead changed five times in the first 90 seconds of the fourth as the Saints and Huskies duelled to pull ahead on the scoreboard. Down by five points with five minutes to go, the Huskies rallied, pulling ahead by one with two and a half minutes left. Behind the Saints again by two points with 0.6 seconds left, Tianna Sullivan of the Huskies sunk two free throws to tie the game at 66 apiece, sending it into overtime.
Keeping their hopes of victory alive, the Huskies took the first lead in overtime, jumping ahead by three. Both teams would fight for control of the game, and with 70 seconds remaining the scoreboard was tied again. Going up by one with under a minute left in overtime, the Saints took over and sealed the deal, claiming victory in the consolation final with a score of 82-75.
The Saints shot 30.2 per cent (26-of-86) from the field during the game and converted on 34.8 per cent (8-of-23) of their three-point attempts. The Huskies went 30 per cent (27-of-90) shooting from the field but only made 16.7 per cent (4-of-24) of their three-point shots.
Logan Kucera - named the Player of the Game for St. Clair - led the way for the Saints, scoring 26 points. Shannon Kennedy had 22 points and 15 rebounds for a double-double, while Jana Kucera also had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Sullivan led the Huskies in scoring with 28 points and had 14 rebounds for a double-double and was named the Player of the Game for George Brown. Aprille Deus had 13 points, and nine rebounds for the Huskies and Krystal-Ann Elento had a team-high four steals.
Source: Humber College
Championship Website: www.ocaa.com/wbb
Championship Webcast: ocaachampionships.com/championships/wbkl/2017-18/videosFiles/index
Championship Results
Friday, March 2
Quarter-Finals
Game 1: Mohawk 71, Seneca 57
Game 2: Humber 82, St. Clair 37
Game 3: Niagara 75, George Brown 72
Game 4: Fanshawe 93, Durham 62
Saturday, March 3
Consolation Round
Game 5: St. Clair 69, Seneca 56
Game 6: George Brown 92, Durham 74
Semi-Finals
Game 7: Humber 91, Mohawk 65
Game 8: Fanshawe 72, Niagara 52
Sunday, March 4
Consolation Final
Game 9: St. Clair 82, George Brown 75 (OT)
Bronze Medal Match
Game 10: Mohawk 92, Niagara 87
Gold Medal Match
Game 11: Humber 69, Fanshawe 54
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