For the first time since 1987, the Seneca Sting are the OCAA Men’s Basketball Gold medal champions. The Sting secured the provincial title after defeating the Humber Hawks 74-63 in the OCAA Championship final hosted by Niagara College in Welland, Ontario from March 1-3.
Both programs clinch a spot in this year’s CCAA Men’s Basketball Championship located in Laval, Quebec.
The matchup featured two of the top defensive programs in the OCAA battling hard over the course of four quarters. At times throughout the back-and-forth affair, both teams seemed poised to take home the championship trophy. Both defenses stood strong, limiting the offensive chances to a minimum, but in the end Seneca’s speed and tenacity proved too much for Humber.
Seneca’s Yusuf Ali (Toronto, Ont.) was an offensive catalyst for the Sting throughout the tournament. In the gold medal final, the second year standout posted a team high 32 points and 9 rebounds. His consistent production earned him the tournament’s most valuable player award. Seneca’s Khalil Miller, Redeemer’s Rayvon Higdon, Sheridan’s Jemol Edwards, and Humber’s Kenny Ejim and CJ Bennett rounded out the 2018 OCAA Championship All-Star team.
Seneca’s player of the game during the gold medal contest was awarded to 1st year forward Nabil Ibraham (Richmond Hill, Ont.) who hit 2 clutch three pointers down the stretch to help his program capture the provincial gold. Ibraham finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds.
Humber’s offence was led by 3rd year forward CJ Bennett who finished with a team high 20 points. DeQuon Cascart was named Humber’s player of the game after notching 15 points and adding six rebounds.
Earlier in the evening the Sheridan Bruins captured the OCAA Bronze medal, defeating the OCAA West Division champion Redeemer Royals 119-84.
