By Bobby Mihalik
Humber Athletics Sports Information
ETOBICOKE, Ont. – Day One of the 2018 OCAA women’s basketball championship at Humber College Athletic Centre in Etobicoke, Ont. saw the St. Clair Saints (12-8, 5th West) square off with the host Humber Hawks (20-0, 1st West) in the quarter-finals. After an evenly matched first quarter, the Hawks took control of the game, defeating the Saints 82-37 and advancing to the semi-finals.
Though the Saints put themselves on the scoreboard first to start the game, a seven-point retaliation from the Hawks had the Saints playing catch-up early. While the Hawks would repeatedly pull ahead throughout the quarter, the Saints kept pace, tying the game at 18 points apiece to enter the second quarter.
The Hawks broke the tie early in the second, going up by four before the Saints evened out the scoreboard again. Unable to take the lead from the Hawks, the Saints fell behind late in the second quarter as the Hawks grabbed a strong lead, scoring seven straight points and closing out the first half with a score of 36-26.
The third quarter belonged to the Hawks, who put their offensive presence on full display. Outscoring the Saints 27-5 through the third, the Hawks cruised to a 32-point lead, leading the Saints 63-31 going into the fourth.
The pace of the game gradually slowed in the fourth and final quarter. The Saints, unable to lessen their deficit, fell behind by 45 points, as the Hawks took the match 82-37, advancing to the semi-final round.
The Hawks shot 39.5 percent (34-of-86) from the field during the game and made 29.6 percent (8-of-27) of their three-point attempts. The Saints finished with a 21.1 percent (15-of-71) field-goal conversion and made 19.4 percent (6-of-31) of their three-point shots.
The Hawks were led offensively by Aleena Domingo, who had 22 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double and was named the Hawks’ player of the game. Miea Campbell-Johnson and Leticia Lopez had 14 and 13 points, respectively, Felicia Velasquez had 11 assists, and Ceejay Nofuente led her team with 12 rebounds.
Jana Kucera, who was named Player of the Game for St. Clair, led the Saints in scoring with 14 points and ten rebounds for a double-double. Anna Ulicny also had ten rebounds, while Logan Kucera finished with seven points and nine rebounds.
The Hawks advance to the semi-finals, where they will face the Mohawk Mountaineers. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday. The Saints will face the Seneca Sting in the consolation round, with start time scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday.
