WELLAND, Ont. - The 2023 OCAA Women's Basketball Championship continued Saturday at Niagara College's Welland Campus Athletic Centre. Semifinal action featured the top four teams in the province fighting it out for their shot at the gold medal game.
In the first of the two semifinal games, the Humber Hawks (14-1, 1st West) took on the Fanshawe Falcons (10-6, 3rd West). The Hawks overcame a first half deficit to continue their journey toward a repeat title, defeating Fanshawe 67-58. Coming off a quarter-final scare against Conestoga, Humber started aggressively, driving the basket, and hustling for offensive rebounds. OCAA West Division Second Team All-Star Kayah Clarke's seven first-quarter points led a balanced attack helping the Hawks establish a 27-14 lead after one.
Fanshawe dialled up the intensity in the second quarter. Their end-to-end pressure ignited a 15-2 run and helped close the gap to three with 3:20 remaining in the half. The Falcons stifling defence, and third-year guard Jessica Jordan's hot shooting propelled Fanshawe to a 36-34 halftime lead. Jordan finished the half with 16 points topping all scorers. The Falcons limited Humber to three second-quarter field goals.
Both squads came out of the locker room inspired. The third quarter was like a fight in a phone booth with neither team giving an inch nor taking a step back. Humber's determined effort to penetrate finally paid dividends. Clarke continued her brilliant inside play. Her seven third-quarter points helped to push the Hawks back in front 52-49 going into the fourth.
With a bid for the final in the balance, the defending champion Hawks clamped down putting together a mid-quarter 7-0 run stretching their lead to 11 with under four minutes to go. Humber never looked back. Brittany English hit a three-pointer at the two-minute mark to put the Hawks up 67-55 sealing the victory. Humber went on defeat Fanshawe 67-58 earning them a place in Sunday's final.
Clarke took home Player of the Game honours for Humber. The Hamilton, Ont., native led Humber with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Alison Cotton was recognized for Fanshawe. The second year forward finished the game with a double-double, 13 points and 13 rebounds. Jordan ended with a game-high 25 points.
The second semifinal match of the night saw the Algonquin Wolves (14-0, 1st East) take on the Lambton Lions (13-2, 2nd West), in a battle of two of the nation's top 15 CCAA-ranked programs. Lambton started the game strong on both ends of the floor building a quick 7-1 run to start the game. The Wolves were able to adjust and both teams continuously contested shots and not giving up easy looks for either side. Lambton was able to take a two possession lead 13-8 into the second quarter after the low scoring first.
The Lions came out firing again the start the second going on a 10-2 run in the first three minutes of the quarter. Fourth-year guard Claire Dechet was crucial early on in this game scoring 10 points on perfect shooting halfway through the second quarter. But much like the first quarter both teams continued to struggle to find their shooting rhythm based off quality defensive outputs from both teams. Lambton was able to add four points at the end of frame to take a 29-16 lead into the halftime break.
Both sides were named the best defensive team in their respective divisions and that was on display as both teams continued to contest shots with each side shooting under 25 per cent from the field in the first half. Coming out of the break everything was on the line for both teams with Sunday's gold medal game in sight, both teams continued to scrap it out and make every point count through the third quarter. The Wolves started to find shooting form from deep with back-to-back three pointers from Meaghan McNamara and OCAA East Division All-Star Dasia McDonald in the last three minutes of the quarter bringing the Lions lead to nine.
Lambton took that nine-point lead 37-28 into the final quarter of the night and continued their strong defensive showing not allowing the top-seeded Wolves back into the game, eventually booking their ticket to Sunday's gold medal game with a 53-38 victory. Dechet was named Lambton's Player of the Game putting up a game-high 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field while McDonald was named Algonquin's Player of the Game with six points, 10 rebounds and one steal while shooting 50 per cent from the field.
The OCAA Women's Basketball Championship will conclude on Sunday, with Fanshawe and Algonquin taking the court at 1 p.m. for the bronze medal game, followed by Humber and Lambton doing battle for gold and the honours of the best team in the province at 3:30 p.m. Ticket can be purchased at the gate for $10 for the day. Parking is free on evenings and weekends in the general lots. All news, stats, webcasts and up-to-date results can be found on the 2023 OCAA Women's Basketball Championship website: www.ocaa.com/wbb.
Source: Niagara Knights
Championship Website: www.ocaa.com/wbb
Live Webcast: www.ocaa.com/ocaalive
Friday, March 3
Quarter-Finals
Game #1: Humber def. Conestoga 60-56
Game #2: Fanshawe def. Redeemer 62-52
Game #3: Algonquin def. Niagara 63-53
Game #4: Lambton def. St. Clair 67-56
Saturday, March 4
Semi-Finals
Game #5: Humber def. Fanshawe 67-58
Game #6: Lambton def. Algonquin 53-38
Sunday, March 5
Bronze Medal Game
Fanshawe vs. Algonquin - 1pm
Winning team presented OCAA Bronze Medal at conclusion of game
Gold Medal Game
Humber vs. Lambton - 3:30pm
OCAA Gold and Silver Medals presented at conclusion of game
- OCAA -
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