OSHAWA, Ont. - It wasn't a conventional evening for the Mohawk Mountaineers at the belairdirect OCAA Men's Basketball Championship, but it was still mission accomplished when the clock hit zero.
The Mountaineers overcame early deficits to eventually pull away and defeat the tenacious St. Lawrence Vikings 87-72 at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre.
Mohawk advances to the gold medal game Sunday at 7:30 p.m., where they will play the Humber Hawks in a rematch of the 2012 OCAA championship game won by the Mountaineers.
With Mohawk set to host the CCAA Men's Basketball National Championship in two weeks, the Mountaineers victory also means Humber receives a berth to the national tournament.
Jeff Hunt (Dundas, Ont.) was the offensive firestarter for the Mountaineers, connecting on seven three-pointers and finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds coming off the bench. OCAA west second-team all-star Andrew Cicuttini (Dundas, Ont.) had 16 points and nine rebounds, while OCAA player of the year Matt Fennell (London, Ont.) also had 16.
Andrew Dawkins (Brampton, Ont.) led the charge for the Vikings with 24 points and six rebounds, while OCAA rookie of the year Jaz Bains (London, England) added 14 points and 10 assists.
Rookie guard Taylor Reddick (Wellington, Ont.) contributed 17 points and seven rebounds for the Vikings, who were also without Shaqeem Downey (Toronto, Ont.), forcing St. Lawrence to dress just seven players.
The Vikings move into the bronze semifinal, where they will go against the Lambton Lions at noon Sunday.
Both teams played tight defence for the majority of the first quarter, with the Vikings doing well to hold their own against the high-powered Mountaineers offence. The play opened up a little bit toward the end of the quarter, with St. Lawrence getting through 10 minutes with a 16-15 lead.
The Mountaineers struggled from the field out of the gate, converting just five out of 22 shots in the opening quarter.
St. Lawrence and Mohawk traded baskets early in the second quarter, but it didn't take long for the Mountaineers to find their stroke from the field, shooting 52.3 per cent from the field in the frame, including a 13-3 run early to grab the lead, to eventually take a 45-34 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
The Mountaineers got a major lift from Hunt off the bench, contributing 15 points and six rebounds, including 4-of-6 on three-point attempts.
Mohawk's offence continued to establish itself early in the third quarter, leading by as many as 18 points at one point. However, the Vikings resiliency showed itself late in the frame, just as it did in their quarter-final against Durham on Friday. St. Lawrence started making shot after shot, eventually closing the gap to 67-60 with 10 minutes ago.
Though St. Lawrence didn't give up at any point, the Mountaineers size, depth, and overall skill were just too much for the Vikings to handle in the fourth quarter. Mohawk stretched its lead out to double digits once again, with Hunt hitting the dagger from three-point range with 1:51 remaining, effectively sealing the deal.
Source: Durham College