HAWKS SOAR TO EIGHTH CCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

CCAA Final: Humber Hawks 76, Durham Lords 70

The Durham Lords vied for gold against the Humber Hawks in the final game of the CCAA championship. Humber's Adrian Aluyi scored the first points for his team less than a minute after the quarter began. Adopting an aggressive offensive approach, the Lords took the lead back halfway through the first quarter that ended with the Lords leading 20-16.

Durham managed to stay ahead during the second quarter thanks to their strong defensive and offensive control of the court. The score at the end of the quarter was 35-27 for the Durham Lords.

In the third quarter the teams were evenly matched but despite the Hawks adopting a stronger offensive in the third quarter, they couldn't close the point gap, due in part to Durham's Jasean Elliott and Miles Hall scoring three-pointers one after the other. The crowd got progressively more enthusiastic as the game advanced into the final quarter with 55-46 for the Lords.

The last quarter was marked by a surprising turn of events when the Hawks managed to take the lead over Durham thanks to four three-pointers in the last half of the quarter. The Humber Hawks won the 2025 CCAA championship final, 76-70. The player of the game for the Durham Lords was Rashane Smith and Aluyi for the Humber Hawks.

CCAA Semi-Final: Durham Lords 85, Dynamiques de Brébeuf 82

The Dynamiques de Brébeuf and Durham Lords fought for a position in the championship final during Thursday's semi-finals. While the Dynamiques of Brébeuf had the lead for half of the first quarter, the Durham Lords managed to gain a 13-10 lead thanks to layups from Rudy Fakih and from Zach Morris in under 30 seconds. Brébeuf countered with an aggressive offensive game in the second quarter and took the lead, ending the first half of the game 36-30.

While both teams tied twice in the third quarter, the Durham Lords ended up with a 60-59 lead going into the fourth quarter. The last quarter was tense as both teams, especially Durham, attempted to make multiple shots in the paint from rebounds. Even with consecutive shots from Brébeuf's Édouard Gauthier, the Durham Lords won the game 85-82. The player of the game for the Dynamiques de Brébeuf was Gauthier and for the Durham Lords it was Fakih.

The Durham Lords go on to play in the championship finals on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., while the Dynamiques de Brébeuf will play the Briarcrest Clippers in the the bronze semi-final match on Friday at 5 p.m.

CCAA Semi-Final: Humber Hawks 69, Vanier Cheetahs 63

The Vanier Cheetahs and the Humber Hawks faced off in game two of the semi-finals in hopes of a shot at the championship title. The crowd was full of energy even before the game began. In the first quarter, Vanier took the lead and maintained it, finishing the quarter 16-11. The Hawks struggled to gain an edge in the first half of the second quarter as Vanier played a strong offensive game with two layups by Cheetah player Randy Tshizanga. Humber began to rebound in the second half of the quarter, narrowing the gap with foul shots and a jump shot made by Malik Grant. The Hawks were leading the quarter, but Vanier came back after calling a time out and managed to tie the second quarter score and finish the first half of the game 31-26.

Despite a crowd-pleasing jump shot by Humber's Romeo Osas-Joshua, the Cheetahs' Mamadou Hady-Bah scored the next nine points and Vanier finished the third quarter 50-42. Things heated up in the final quarter when Humber tied the game, and the lead changed repeatedly. The crowd was on the edge of their seats as Humber gained the lead and Vanier tried to bounce back. The Humber Hawks kept the lead and won the game 69-63. Vanier's player of the game was Randy Tshizanga and Humber's player of the game was Grant.

The Vanier Cheetahs will play the UNBSJ Seawolves in the bronze semi-final game at 7 p.m. on Friday. The Humber Hawks go on to play the Durham Lords for gold at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

CCAA Quarter-Final: Durham Lords 61, UNBSJ Seawolves 50

The CCAA National Basketball Championship officially started on Wednesday and the first match-up was between the UNBSJ Seawolves from Saint-John's, N.B., and the Durham Lords from Oshawa, Ont. In the first quarter the teams were evenly matched and it ended with the Lords leading 13-12. In the second quarter, the Seawolves showcased their defensive skills as both teams fought to defend their nets. The Seawolves took a 29-24 lead by the end of the first half of the game, with a 100 per cent free throw average (5-of-5).

The third quarter started out slowly as Durham fought to regain their advantage. Despite the Lords bouncing back, the quarter ended with UNBSJ keeping their 39-38 lead. Durham fought hard in the final quarter to maintain their first place Pool A position, sparking the crowd's excitement as the score shifted to 41-40 in Durham's favour. The Lords scored multiple three-pointers, leading them to victory with a final score of 61-50. The player of the game for the Lords was Mark Stoop and Jack Fury-Miller for the Seawolves.

The Durham Lords advance to play in the first semi-final game match up Thursday (March 13) at 6:30 p.m. and the UNBSJ Seawolves fight for bronze in the first quarter-final game at 1:00 p.m.

CCAA Quarter-Final: Humber Hawks 86, Capilano Blues 81

Game 4 of the CCAA championship was between the Humber Hawks, from Toronto, Ont., and the Capilano Blues, from North Vancouver, B.C. Capilano and Humber were evenly matched during the first quarter, drawing excitement from the crowd as they faced off in a tight battle. Blues player Kash Lang stood out, scoring nine of the 25 points that contributed to their 25-20 lead by the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Hawks hustled with a strong offensive game, as each team vied for control. In the end, the Capilano Blues finished the first half of the game 47-43.

The Humber Hawks came in strong in the third quarter and tensions escalated between the teams, as they fought for points. Capilano closed out the quarter 66-62. The final quarter was tense, with both teams scoring back to back as Humber tried to close the tight gap, leading to a repeatedly tied game during the last few minutes of play. In the end, the game was decided by two free throw shots, giving Humber a lead that they managed to keep until the end. Humber won the game 86-81. The player of the game for Humber was Taujh Motiki-Stephens and Kash Lang for Capilano.

The Humber Hawks advance to play in Game 2 of the semi-finals against the Vanier Cheetahs at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, while the Capilano Blues will fight for a spot in the bronze quarter-finals match against the Briercrest Clippers at 3:00 p.m.

CCAA Championship Site: www.ccaa.ca/sports/mbkb/championship/index

Source: Vanier Cheetahs/CCAA Communications