SARNIA – Humber began their quest towards the 2020 CCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship with a statement win on Friday afternoon.
In the opening contest of the 2020 OCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, presented by Kel-Gor, the Hawks picked up the 88-60 win over the Georgian Grizzlies inside the Lambton College Athletics & Fitness Complex in Sarnia, Ontario.
With the win, the Hawks have advanced to Saturday’s semifinals, where they await the winner between Seneca and St. Clair in the second game on Friday’s schedule.
The loss brings an end to Georgian’s season, and the career for their fifth-year seniors.
Humber came out of the gates strong, using a 7-0 run to take control early on. Georgian answered shortly thereafter with four points of their own, but the momentum that the Hawks had built early on was just the beginning.
As the first quarter moved along, Humber continued to pad its lead. At the break, the Hawks held a 29-15 lead over the Grizzlies. The second quarter was more closely contested, but the end result was still the same. Humber outscored the Grizzlies by a 17-13 margin to stretch their lead to 18 points at the break.
Georgian would not hold a lead in the game.
Much like the first half, the second half saw Humber build on their lead as time ticked away. The Hawks outscored Georgian in all four quarters, rolling to the 88-60 win as a result.
Guard Keith Laryea led all scorers on the afternoon with 21 points off the bench for the Hawks. He was named Humber’s Player of the Game as a result.
Samuel Odzenma was named the Player of the Game for Georgian after his 19-point performance.
The win sends Humber into the semifinals on Saturday afternoon. The Hawks will take on either St. Clair or Seneca at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.