SARNIA, Ont. – For the first time in 44 years, the George Brown Huskies are the OCAA men's basketball champions.
On Sunday afternoon inside the Lambton College Athletics & Fitness Complex, the George Brown Huskies knocked off the Humber Hawks, 78-65, to bring home the gold medal. With the win, the Huskies continued their recent of strong play, one that they hope to carry into the 2020 CCAA Men's Basketball National Championship tournament, which runs from Mar. 18-21 at Humber College.
The Hawks come away with the silver medal, and now turn their attention to hosting nationals in little over a week.
Guard Chris Fields was named as the Huskies' Player of the Game after posting 13 points, six rebounds, four assists, and four steals off the bench. Forward Jaylan Morgan was named Player of the Game for Humber after posting a team-high 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field.
The championship game was a battle between the top team from each division in the regular season. The Huskies finished the regular season atop the East Division with a 17-3 record overall, while the Hawks brought home first place in the West Division with a 15-5 record.
It didn't disappoint.
In each of their first two games, the Huskies found themselves trailing at the half. This time around, George Brown found their rhythm early on in the game to take a four-point lead after the first quarter. Both teams went back and forth in the second, but a pair of free throws from Derrick Taylor late sent the Huskies into the break up one, 37-36.
To start the third, teams would trade baskets before a 7-0 run for George Brown stretched their lead to 10 points, at 58-48, with under two minutes left in the quarter. Humber would cut the deficit to five before the quarter was out, but that was as close as they would get the rest of the way.
George Brown slowly pulled away in the fourth quarter, ultimately picking up the 13-point win and ending their 44-year drought in the process.
Huskies' forward Kingslee D'Silva was named Championship MVP for his efforts, while Naseem Barry was named Top Rookie.
Here are the 2020 OCAA Men's Basketball Championship All-Stars:
Spencer Kerssies, Redeemer Royals
Isaiah Ankra, Seneca Sting
Jaylan Morgan, Humber Hawks
Keith Laryea, Humber Hawks
Caldre Campbell, George Brown Huskies
SENECA CAPTURES BRONZE AT 2020 OCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Thanks in part to a second quarter surge, the Seneca Sting are your 2020 OCAA men's basketball bronze medalists.
In the second quarter, the Sting outscored the Redeemer Royals by a 30-14 margin to take a 14-point lead into the break. From there, Seneca never looked back, and they came away with the 97-81 win to secure the bronze medal at the 2020 OCAA Men's Basketball Championship, presented by Kel-Gor.
Seneca guard Johnny Kitenge was named Player of the Game for the bronze medallists. In 32 minutes off the bench, Kitenge recorded a game-high 27 points to go along with seven rebounds and six assists. For the Royals, guard Elijah Lostracco picked up Player of the Game honours after recording 16 points and seven rebounds of his own off the bench.
Redeemer took a two-point lead after the first quarter, 30-28, behind seven points apiece from Nick Green and Spencer Kerssies. The second quarter saw each team go on a series of runs on offence, with the biggest of them all coming by way of the Sting. Seneca closed the half on a 20-3 run over the final five-plus minutes to seize control of the game heading into the break.
Seneca held a 58-44 lead at half.
In the second half, Seneca kept the Royals at a safe distance. Redeemer got to within nine points late in the fourth quarter, but the lead for the Sting was never seriously threatened down the stretch. After Redeemer cut the deficit to nine, at 88-79, with just over three minutes to play, Seneca closed the game on a 9-2 run to push their lead back to double-digits and seal the deal.
Despite Redeemer's best efforts in the fourth, the Sting came away with the OCAA bronze medal by way of their 97-81 victory on Sunday afternoon.
At the conclusion of the game, Redeemer forward Kerssies and Seneca guard Isaiah Ankra were named to the Championship All-Star team for their efforts on the court over the three-day event.
Source: Lambton Lions
Championship Website: www.ocaa.com/mbb
Live Webcast: www.ocaa.com/ocaalive
Friday, March 6
Quarter-Finals
Game #1: Humber def. Georgian 88-60
Game #2: Seneca def. St. Clair 102-73
Game #3: Redeemer def. Sheridan 99-90
Game #4: George Brown def. Lambton 82-65
Saturday, March 7
Semi-Finals
Game #5: Humber def. Seneca 78-73
Game #6: George Brown def. Redeemer 79-76
Sunday, March 8
Bronze Medal Game
Game #7: Seneca def. Redeemer 97-81
Gold Medal Game
Game #8: George Brown def. Humber 78-65
- 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
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com