BARRIE, Ont. - The elite eight are set to compete for provincial glory at the 2019 belairdirect Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Men's Basketball Championship, hosted by Georgian College in Barrie, Ont., from Thursday through Saturday.
All three reigning OCAA medalists return to the championship stage, including the defending provincial and national champion Seneca Sting, runner-up Humber Hawks and bronze medalist Sheridan Bruins. Seneca (17-3) won the East Division championship for a second straight season, and Humber (18-2) took the West Division crown in 2018-19.
There will be a familiarity between many of the competitors at the championship, with all teams except Seneca and host Georgian (9-11) residing in the West Division. Along with Humber and Sheridan (15-5), other teams advancing to provincials out of the West Division are Niagara (15-5), Redeemer (13-7), Fanshawe (13-7) and Lambton (10-10).
A total of 11 games will be played in a span of three days. The OCAA quarter-finals will take place on Thursday afternoon beginning at 1 p.m. Winning teams will advance to the OCAA semi-finals on Friday, followed by the bronze and gold medal games on Saturday.
While each team is guaranteed at least two games, they must win their quarter-final match to remain in OCAA medal contention. Losing teams in the quarter-finals will compete in the consolation round Friday, with the final taking place Saturday.
The OCAA champion and silver medalist advances to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men's Basketball National Championship, taking place in Vancouver, next month.
Here's a closer look at the quarter-final match-ups.
| Redeemer (13-7, 4th West) vs. Seneca (17-3, 1st East) |
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| Thursday, Feb. 28 - 1 p.m. | ||
| Redeemer | Seneca | |
| Won 4 | Streak | Won 1 |
| 6-4 | Last 10 | 9-1 |
| 1869 | Points For | 1728 |
| 1688 | Points Against | 1251 |
| Spencer Kerssies (17.9/game) | Points Leader | Julio Vazquez (12.8/game) |
| Spencer Kerssies (13.3/game) | Rebounds Leader | Khalil Miller (6.5/game) |
| Foster Brown (4.0/game) | Assists Leader | Isaiah Ankra (3.3/game) |
| Spencer Kerssies (1.9/game) | Blocks Leader | Khalil Miller (1.0/game) |
| Foster Brown (1.6/game) | Steals Leader | Isaiah Ankra (1.9/game) |
| 0-0 | Head-To-Head | 0-0 |
| Fanshawe (13-7, 5th West) vs. Sheridan (15-5, 2nd West) |
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| Thursday, Feb. 28 - 3 p.m. |
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| Fanshawe | Sheridan | |
| Won 1 | Streak | Won 2 |
| 6-4 | Last 10 | 8-2 |
| 1741 | Points For | 2038 |
| 1523 | Points Against | 1755 |
| Chris Parker (23.0/game) | Points Leader | Nick Campbell (21.9/game) |
| Hanani Ujullu (8.8/game) | Rebounds Leader | Tremaine Anderson (7.7/game) |
| Chris Parker (3.3/game) | Assists Leader | Nick Campbell (3.3/game) |
| Hanani Ujullu (1.4/game) | Blocks Leader | Tremaine Anderson (1.7/game) |
| Chris Parker (1.5/game) | Steals Leader | Kahleek Bakari-Whyte (2.6/game) |
| 1-1 | Head-To-Head | 1-1 |
| Lambton (10-10, 6th West) vs. Niagara (15-5, 3rd West) |
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| Thursday, Feb. 28 - 6 p.m. |
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| Lambton | Niagara | |
| Won 1 | Streak | Won 4 |
| 5-5 | Last 10 | 8-2 |
| 1800 | Points For | 1989 |
| 1738 | Points Against | 1691 |
| Tyvell Peters (21.9/game) | Points Leader | Van Hutchinson Jr. (25.1/game) |
| Deiondre Reid (8.8/game) | Rebounds Leader | Van Hutchinson Jr. (12.9/game) |
| Journee Joseph (3.5/game) | Assists Leader | Van Hutchinson Jr. (6.9/game) |
| Jason Watts (2.0/game) | Blocks Leader | Kevin Cooper (2.4/game) |
| Tyvell Peters (1.8/game) | Steals Leader | Van Hutchinson Jr. (2.8/game) |
| 0-2 | Head-To-Head | 2-0 |
| Georgian (9-11, 7th East) vs. Humber (18-2, 1st West) |
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| Thursday, Feb. 28 - 8 p.m. |
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| Georgian |
Humber | |
| Lost 2 | Streak | Won 1 |
| 4-6 | Last 10 | 8-2 |
| 1450 | Points For | 1973 |
| 1666 | Points Against | 1603 |
| Tyler Vanessen (18.4/game) | Points Leader | Jaylan Morgan (16.0/game) |
| Tyler Vanessen (8.3/game) | Rebounds Leader | Jaylan Morgan (6.3/game) |
| Anthony Meggo (3.6/game) | Assists Leader | Curwin Elvis (2.7/game) |
| Tyler Vanessen (0.6/game) | Blocks Leader | Kevin Otoo (0.9/game) |
| Sean Dutton (1.9/game) | Steals Leader | Kevin Otoo (2.0/game) |
| 0-0 | Head-To-Head | 0-0 |
Championship Website: www.ocaa.com/mbb
Championship Webcast: www.youtube.com/user/GeorgianGrizzlies
Championship Schedule
Thursday, February 28
Quarter-Finals
Game 1: Redeemer vs. Seneca - 1 p.m.
Game 2: Fanshawe vs. Sheridan - 3 p.m.
Game 3: Lambton vs. Niagara - 6 p.m.
Game 4: Georgian vs. Humber - 8 p.m.
Friday, March 1
Consolation Round
Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 - 1 p.m.
Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 - 3 p.m.
Semi-Finals
Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 - 6 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 - 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 2
Consolation Final
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 - 12 p.m.
Bronze Medal Game
Game 10: Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8 - 2 p.m.
Winning team presented OCAA Bronze Medal at conclusion of game
Gold Medal Game
Game 11: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 - 5 p.m.
OCAA Gold and Silver Medals presented at conclusion of game
- OCAA -
ABOUT ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is the recognized leader in intercollegiate athletics in the province, dedicated to student-athlete and sport development. The OCAA has 27 members sponsoring 12 varsity sports.
For additional information please contact:
Josh Bell-Webster
Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
Fax: 416-426-7308
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com