WINDSOR, Ont. - The 2023 OCAA Men's Basketball Championship is into Day 2 with much at stake for the four remaining teams, as they not only vie for a gold medal but the winner of each semi-final will also clinch a berth to the 2023 CCAA National Championship in Calgary, Alta. The first matchup of the day featured a contest between two nationally-ranked teams as the No. 11 Mohawk Mountaineers (16-4) squared off against the No. 3 George Brown Huskies (19-1).
The first quarter was a tug of war between two contrasting styles of play, with each team trying to impose their brand of basketball on the game. Mohawk struggled to get off as many three-point attempts as they would have liked against the pressing and switching defence of the Huskies. George Brown won round one of the battle 24-16 heading into the second frame.
The game opened up in the second quarter with plenty of end-to-end action but not much shot making from either team in another low scoring quarter. The Huskies held Mohawk to 17 second quarter points and took a 43-33 advantage into the intermission. The difference in the first half was ball security with George Brown forcing 13 turnovers that created 12 points, while only committing four turnovers themselves.
Mohawk came out of the locker room poised to make a run and quickly cut the Huskies lead to 43-37. George Brown responded with quality ball movement and sharing of the basketball and ballooned the spread to 20, forcing a Mohawk timeout. The top seeded Huskies took a stranglehold on the contest, going up 71-49 heading into the fourth and final quarter.
Mohawk continued to play hard to cut a dent into the George Brown spread but the Huskies proved to be too much as they captured the first of two available CCAA National Championship berths and advanced to the OCAA gold medal match with a 93-80 victory. The Huskies will now await the winner of the second semi-final, showcasing the host and top-seeded St. Clair Saints (16-3) taking on the Cinderella Lambton Lions (11-9). Mohawk will take on the loser of the second semi-final at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 5th for the bronze medal.
The Huskies shot 44 per cent from the field and made 11 three pointers, all while holding the Mohawk snipers to only six made threes for the contest on 21 per cent shooting from downtown. George Brown dominated the Mountaineers in reserve scoring as they netted 52 bench points to Mohawk's 19 off the bench.
The victorious Huskies had eight different players score eight points or more and had four players in double figures. Jeremiah Brown (Scarborough, Ont.) led the scoring charge for George Brown with 15 points and seven rebounds. He was joined in double figures by Caldre Campbell (North York, Ont.) with 13 points, Derrick Taylor (Toronto, Ont.) with 12 points and eight rebounds, and Chris Fields (Montreal, Que.) with 11 points and eight assists.
Mohawk's Jerry Jr. Mercury (Scarborough, Ont.) had an impressive double-double with 20 points and 20 rebounds. He had four different teammates support him with double digit scoring as Cale Calura (Hamilton, Ont.) tallied 15 points and Daniel Graham (Hamilton, Ont.) scored 14 points. Rommel Calura (Hamilton, Ont.) and Raivone Young (Halifax, N.S.) chipped in with 12 points in a losing cause.
Calura was named Player of the Game for Mohawk. Campbell was named Player of the Game for the George Brown Huskies.
SAINTS PUNCH TICKET TO NATIONALS IN NAILBITER OVER LAMBTON
The second semifinal of the evening showcased a Southwestern Ontario rivalry as the hometown darling and 2022 OCAA and CCAA runner-up St. Clair Saints (16-3) looked to defend their home court against the pesky Lambton Lions (11-9). The nationally-ranked No. 4 Saints swept the two regular season contests between the West Division foes, winning two tight contests on their way to their first West Division championship in 21 years.
It wasn't always pretty but when the going got tough, Shak Pryce was the steadying hand that his team needed. The fearless Lions came out shooting hot but could not sustain enough shot making down the stretch and the St. Clair Saints put the game away late from the foul line to escape with a 90-88 victory. With the win, St. Clair has guaranteed themselves entry into the 2023 CCAA Men's Basketball National Championship as well as advancing to the OCAA gold medal game on their homecourt.
The gold medal match showcases the No. 3 and No. 4 teams in Canada as the 2022 OCAA and CCAA runner up St. Clair Saints play host to the George Brown Huskies for the right to call themselves the 2023 OCAA men's basketball champions. The game is set to tip-off at 3:30 p.m. in front of a raucous St. Clair crowd.
The first quarter showcased why both teams are playing in the final four with very good two way basketball being displayed. St. Clair jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead but that would be the biggest spread of the quarter as Lambton kept within arm's reach with quality three-point shooting.
The Lions' blistering shooting from the quarter-final carried over into the semifinals as they relied on eight made three pointers on 17 attempts in the first half, including five made shots from downtown in the second quarter to open up a nine-point lead late in the half. Senior Jesiah Deerr (Whitby, Ont.) hit a buzzer beat three from the left corner to give the Saints a boost of momentum heading into the locker room as they trailed 49-44 at the break.
Lambton guard Nyanungu Ngakira (London, Ont.) went a perfect 7-of-7 from the field including 5-of-5 from distance in the first half, tallying 19 points to give his team a five-point spread at halftime. All-Canadian Shak Pryce (Pickering, Ont.) had 11 points for the Saints.
The Lions picked up where they left off to start the third quarter, as they opened their gap to 60-50 midway through the third period. The Lions kept the capacity crowd at the SportsPlex at bay long enough but a 16-6 St. Clair run kickstarted by a Glynn Willis-Paris (Detroit, Mich.) triple electrified the crowd. After three quarters of play, the game was deadlocked at 67-67.
The fourth quarter was the most exciting basketball we have seen at the tournament thus far as both teams played championship calibre basketball on both ends. Pryce knocked down his third triple of the contest to give the Saints an 83-80 lead that they would never relinquish. The Lions cut the lead to within two points with 4.7 seconds to play after an unsporting foul gave the Lions possession with a chance to tie or win the game at the buzzer. A corner three-point attempt by Jerry Wilson (Detroit, Mich.) hit the side of the backboard, the Saints corralled the rebound and punched their ticket to the OCAA gold medal match and the 2023 CCAA national championship with a 90-88 victory.
Although Lambton outshot St. Clair from the field (44 per cent to 41 per cent) and from beyond the arc (42 per cent to 35 per cent), the difference in the game was St. Clair ability to get to the paint and score at the rim at will. The Saints doubled up the Lions scoring 32 points in the paint to 16. The home side also secured 15 rebounds that netted them 16 second chance points, which especially paid dividends in the fourth quarter as Chad Vincent-Simon and Jalon Harmon (Ypsilanti, Mich.) created multiple second opportunities for the Saints.
Five players scored in double figures for the winning side with Pryce leading his team once again with a near triple-double for the second night in a row, totaling 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Deerr had a great bounce back game off the bench scoring 18 points including three makes from downtown. Darnelle Peddie (Pickering, Ont.) had 15 points, Chad Vincent-Simon tacked on 11 points and nine rebounds, and Harmon added 10 points.
The Lions offence were paced by Byanungu Ngakira who scored 25 points, including seven triples. Tyrelle Miller (Brampton, Ont.) had a great overall game netting 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Wilson and Journee Joseph (Brampton, Ont.) each chipped in with 14 points in a losing cause.
Ngakira was named Player of the Game for Lambton. Pryce was named Player of the Game for the St. Clair Saints.
Source: St. Clair Saints
Championship Website: www.ocaa.com/mbb
Live Webcast: www.ocaa.com/ocaalive
Friday, March 3
Quarter-Finals
Game #1: Mohawk def. Humber 93-81
Game #2: George Brown def. Niagara 74-61
Game #3: Lambton def. Sheridan 105-69
Game #4: St. Clair def. Conestoga 97-85
Saturday, March 4
Semi-Finals
Game #5: George Brown def. Mohawk 93-80
Game #6: St. Clair def. Lambton 90-88
Sunday, March 5
Bronze Medal Game
Mohawk vs. Lambton - 1pm
Winning team presented OCAA Bronze Medal at conclusion of game
Gold Medal Game
George Brown vs. St. Clair - 3:30pm
OCAA Gold and Silver Medals presented at conclusion of game
- OCAA -
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