OCAA Men’s Basketball Championship – Defending Champs Downed as Mountaineers Advance Past Humber
The 2023 OCAA Men’s Basketball Provincial Championship tipped off at 1pm today with the first quarterfinal of the tournament, a contest that featured the defending OCAA & CCAA Champion Humber Hawks (9-9) taking on the nationally ranked #11 Mohawk Mountaineers (14-4). The Mountaineers won both meetings this year between the West Division opponents, defeating Humber 83-80 on the road in the first semester and routing the Hawks at home 96-72 in the second term.
The Mountaineers captured the victory to kick off the tournament with a 93-81 win over the defending champion Humber Hawks to advance and play in semi-final #1 on Saturday March 4th at 4pm. Mohawk now awaits the winner of quarterfinal #2 featuring the #2 nationally ranked George Brown Huskies (17-1) who will face the Niagara Knights (11-7) at 3pm.
Mohawk came out firing in the first quarter, forcing contested shots and turnovers from the defending champs, opening a 26-16 lead after the opening frame. Humber punched back in the second quarter, sorting out their shooting woes and raining down triples at the SportsPlex to the tune of a 32-point quarter, taking a 48-44 lead into the intermission.
The halftime break allowed the Mountaineers to regroup and find their offensive rhythm from the first quarter as they took a narrow 69-67 lead heading into the final frame. Humber guard Dwayne Lambert-Cadore (Rexdale, ON) picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter and didn’t return until early in the fourth quarter. During that timeframe, Mohawk opened a double-digit lead, leading by as many as 14 in the final quarter on their way to a hard fought 93-81.
Mohawk, known for their three-point shooting, struggled from beyond the arc making only 6 triples and shooting 23% from distance but made up for it with 48% overall shooting and 48 points in the paint. Mohawk’s defence also limited Humber to 38% from the field and only one second half triple.
A balanced scoring attack from Mohawk had five players reach double figures, lead by point guard Daniel Graham (Hamilton, ON) with 20 points. Brothers Cale Calura (Hamilton, ON) and Rommel Calura (Hamilton, ON) had big contributions with 19 points and 17 points respectively. Jerry Jr. Mercury (Scarborough, ON) had a double-double for the Mountaineers with 15 points and 13 rebounds and Raivone Young (Halifax, NS) rounded out the Mohawk double figure scorers with 10 points.
On the Humber side, Lambert-Cadore lead all scorers with 28 points. He was joined by Raheem Dennis (Mississauga, ON) with 16 points and Kyle Brown-Fazekas (Windsor, ON) with 11 points and 8 rebounds in a losing effort.
Dwayne Lambert-Cadore was named Player of the Game for the Hawks, while Jerry Jr. Mercury was named Player of the Game for the victorious Mountaineers.
Lions Blitz Sheridan in Blowout Win to Advance to Semifinals
The first game of the evening wave of quarterfinals boasted a matchup between two West Division rivals as the #13 nationally ranked Sheridan Bruins (13-6) squared off against the Lambton Lions (10-9). The third quarterfinal of the tournament was a rubber match between these two teams as they split their two regular season matchups.
Lambton got off to a blistering start, netting 10 triples in the first half and shooting 58% with only 5 turnovers in the opening half. They held a 26-point halftime lead and never looked back as they routed the nationally ranked and perennial powerhouse Sheridan Bruins 105-69 to advance to the second semi-final on Saturday evening. Lambton now awaits the winner of the nightcap between the host and #4 nationally ranked St. Clair Saints (15-3) and the Conestoga Condors (12-7).
Lambton jumped out to a huge lead in the opening frame 31-12 and built on that lead to take a 59-33 lead into the half. The second half was much of the same as Lambton’s hot shooting continued and Sheridan was unable to mount any momentum. Lambton captured their second upset of the playoffs with a 105-69 win to advance to the medal round of the 2023 OCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
Lambton had five scorers in double figure as they shot the lights out at the SportsPlex on Friday night. Tyrelle Miller (Brampton, ON) led the way scoring a tournament high 30 points on 61% shooting. He was joined by teammates Journee Joseph (Brampton, ON) with 22 points, Jerry Wilson (Detroit, MI) with 16 points, Byanungu Ngakira (London, ON) with 12 points and Georgi Nedyalkov (Toronto, ON) with 12 points.
Sheridan had two players in double figures, lead by OCAA West Division First Team All-Star Mohamud Qasim (Toronto, ON) who scored 22 points on 50% shooting. His teammate Jaidyn Dorman (Mississauga, ON) chipped in 16 points in the losing cause.
Mohamud Qasim was named Player of the Game for Sheridan. Tyrelle Miller was named Player of the Game for the Lambton Lions.