By Bobby Mihalik
Humber Athletics Sports Information
ETOBICOKE, Ont – Day Three of the 2018 OCAA women’s basketball championship at Humber College Athletic Centre in Etobicoke, Ont. kicked off Sunday with the St. Clair Saints (12-8, 5th West) facing off against the George Brown Huskies (15-2, 1st East) in a consolation final matchup. In an intense back and forth game that went right down to the wire, the Saints triumphed over the Huskies, winning the game 82-75 in overtime.
The Saints struck first in the match by opening the scoring, grabbing a small lead that they successfully held throughout the quarter. Though the Huskies kept close to the Saints on the scoreboard, they could not pull ahead, ending the first quarter behind 12-10.
In the second quarter, it was the Huskies who got things going, tying the game twice before pulling ahead on a three-point shot. The Saints briefly snatched the lead back before the Huskies roared ahead, going up by six points with two minutes remaining in the half. After a late Saints rally that cut the lead down to one, the Huskies scored six in the final minute to take a 31-24 lead into the second half.
The teams began the third quarter at a relatively even pace before the Huskies gradually pulled further ahead, outscoring the Saints 12-8 in the first five minutes. Scoring eight straight points, the Saints clawed their way back into contention, finishing the third behind by a single point, trailing 46-45 entering the fourth quarter.
The lead changed five times in the first 90 seconds of the fourth as the Saints and Huskies duelled to pull ahead on the scoreboard. Down by five points with five minutes to go, the Huskies rallied, pulling ahead by one with two and a half minutes left. Behind the Saints again by two points with 0.6 seconds left, Tianna Sullivan of the Huskies sunk two free throws to tie the game at 66 apiece, sending it into overtime.
Keeping their hopes of victory alive, the Huskies took the first lead in overtime, jumping ahead by three. Both teams would fight for control of the game, and with 70 seconds remaining the scoreboard was tied again. Going up by one with under a minute left in overtime, the Saints took over and sealed the deal, claiming victory in the consolation final with a score of 82-75.
The Saints shot 30.2 percent (26-of-86) from the field during the game and converted on 34.8 percent (8-of-23) of their three-point attempts. The Huskies went 30 percent (27-of-90) shooting from the field but only made 16.7 percent (4-of-24) of their three-point shots.
Logan Kucera - named the Player of the Game for St. Clair - led the way for the Saints, scoring 26 points. Shannon Kennedy had 22 points and 15 rebounds for a double-double, while Jana Kucera also had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Tianna Sullivan led the Huskies in scoring with 28 points and had 14 rebounds for a double-double and was named the Player of the Game for George Brown. Aprille Deus had 13 points, and nine rebounds for the Huskies and Krystal-Ann Elento had a team-high four steals.
Up next in the OCAA championship is the bronze medal matchup between the Mohawk Mountaineers and the Niagara Knights, scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. today. The gold medal game between the Humber Hawks and the Fanshawe Falcons will follow, with tip-off scheduled for 5 p.m.
