Men's Basketball holds on to down No. 10 St. Clair

By: Isabelle Ferrante
Humber Athletics Communications

ETOBICOKE – Humber men's basketball team (3-3, 6th West) beat No. 10 St. Clair Saints (3-2, 4th West) in a nail-biter Saturday evening, 86-82. The game saw a very even matchup between the two teams trading scoring chances and leads the entire game. Humber was able to take the lead with 3 minutes left and hold off on to secure the victory.

Toronto native Jayar Harewood was named player of the game for the Hawks, recording his first career double-double, finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds in 35 minutes of play. All five Humber starters finished with double-digit scoring, led by Romeo Osas Joshua, who recorded his second straight 20-point game, finishing with a game-high 21 points. Kyle Brown-Fazekas added 17 points of his own, while Raheem Dennis and Dwayne Lambert-Cadore recorded ten points, each.

Game Recap

The first quarter was a high-flying back-and-forth offensive battle, with both teams trading chances and leads. Both squads were evenly matched, playing intensely on offensive-to-defensive transitions. Humber would end the first quarter with the lead after a jump shot through a crowd of defenders by Taujh Motiki-Stephens in the dying seconds.

Humber continued to add to their lead with a solid start to the second quarter. After a couple of missed shots by the Saints, the Hawks were able to capitalize. In a three-minute span they went on a 7-1 scoring run and gained their biggest lead of the game. The lead didn't last long, as a couple of mistakes by Humber would prove to be costly. Turnovers and missed shots by the home team would allow the Saints to be able to claw their way back and gain the lead with four minutes to go. After a timeout by head coach Omar Miles, the Hawks seemed to get some of their confidence back as the teams were close once again. The second quarter would end with St. Clair in front 45-42 after a couple of made free throws with six seconds to left.

Second-half adjustments by the reigning national champions proved to be fruitful, helping the Hawks retake the lead. Rookie Jayar Harewood put his elite athleticism on display for everyone to see, recording ten points on eight rebounds in the frame. Humber's stifling defence shut down the top offence in the conference, holding the Saints 19.2 per cent (five-for-26) shooting from the floor to win the quarter, 25-18.

With six minutes remaining in the game, Romeo Osas Joshua hit a corner triple to extend Humber's lead to seven, forcing a St. Clair timeout. The time out by Saints head coach Brandon Seguin worked out to perfection, allowing St. Clair to regroup and force the inexperienced Hawks into costly turnovers. Humber's 2022-23 fourth-quarter woes continued and the Saints went on a 10-0 run to retake the lead over the next 2:10 of game action. Kyle Brown-Fazekas responded with a deep three-pointer, followed by a Dwayne Lambert-Cadore elbow jumper gave Humber with two minutes remaining.

With time running out, Harewood hit both of his free throws from the line to ice the game, lifting the Hawks to the win on home court, 86-82.

Humber Highlights

• Humber extends its win streak to 13 against St. Clair.
• The Hawks improve to 1-1 against CCAA ranked opponents this season.
• Humber held the Saints to its lowest-scoring total of the season.
• The Hawks finished 10-for-22 (45.5 per cent) from the charity strip, the first time they've dipped below 60 per cent on the season.

What's Next?

Humber will continue its three-game homestand on Nov. 20 against the Lambton Lions (2-4, 8th West). Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will be streamed live on the Hawks Sports Network.