By Bobby Mihalik
Humber Athletics Sports Information
ETOBICOKE, Ont – Day Two of the 2018 OCAA women’s basketball championship at Humber College Athletic Centre in Etobicoke, Ont. came to an end tonight with a semi-final matchup between the Fanshawe Falcons (17-3, 2nd West) and the Niagara Knights (14-6, 4th West). With a monster first quarter, the Falcons soared ahead and defeated the Knights 72-52, advancing to the gold medal game.
Beginning the game with a bang, the Falcons jumped out to a six-point lead on the scoreboard to start the match. After the Knights scored three, the Falcons went on a tear, scoring 20 straight points and shutting out the Knights for the remainder of the first, going up 26-3 entering the second.
Despite the Knights’ efforts, the Falcons’ scoring streak continued into the second quarter, scoring 27 straight points across two quarters before the Knights retaliated by scoring five of their own. Riding newfound momentum, the Knights kept pace with the Falcons through the remainder of the second but fell behind by another three points as the Falcons ended the half with a 45-19 lead.
The teams remained evenly matched in the third, both scoring 10 points apiece through the first five minutes. The Knights would more than double their score at the half, outscoring the Falcons 21-18 in the third, though the Falcons would head into the fourth quarter in control, 63-40.
Opening the fourth scoring four straight and shutting down the Falcons for over two minutes, the Knights looked in position to mount an incredible comeback. Down 19 points with three minutes to go, the Knights stalled and ultimately fell short as the Falcons hung on to win by a score of 72-52, securing a berth to the gold medal match.
The Falcons finished the game shooting 39 percent (30-of-77) from the field and converting 36.4 percent (4-of-11) of their three-point attempts. The Knights shot 22.5 percent (16-of-71) from the field but went 76.2 percent on a high number of free throws (16-of-21).
Ali Vlasman, who was named the Player of the Game for Fanshawe, led her team in scoring with 18 points. Mikhaila Wright had 13 points and led her team with eight rebounds, while both Chuot Angou and Claire Dechet had ten points.
The Player of the Game for Niagara was Courtney Kilyk, who led her team with 19 points and nine rebounds. Hannah Baker had eight points for the Knights, and Mary Ingribelli had seven.
The Falcons advance to the gold medal championship match against the Humber Hawks, with tip-off time scheduled for 5 p.m. Sunday. The Knights will play the Mohawk Mountaineers in the bronze medal matchup, scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
