SARNIA – The Humber Hawks aren’t content with just advancing to the CCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship on their home floor. They want to head into the tournament with an OCAA Championship under their belts.
On Saturday afternoon in the first of two semifinal contests inside the Lambton College Athletics & Fitness Complex, the Hawks edged their way past the Seneca Sting and into Sunday’s Championship with a hard-fought 78-73 win.
With the win, the Hawks will face off against either the Redeemer Royals or George Brown Huskies on Sunday afternoon, with tip-off scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
The loss doesn’t end the season for the Sting, as they will compete for a bronze medal on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. against the loser of the second semifinal.
Out of the gates, it looked as though the Sting were going to ride their hot shooting to another convincing victory. Isaiah Ankra was 4-of-9 from the field in the first quarter, recording 11 of his game high 30 points in the frame. Seneca raced out to a 23-15 lead after the opening 10 minutes, putting the Hawks behind the eight-ball.
The second quarter saw the Hawks start to find their rhythm on the offensive end of the floor. It started off in favour of the Sting, as they scored the first six points of the quarter to stretch their lead to 14 points, but the Hawks didn’t break. Four straight points from Jaylan Morgan ended the Hawks’ scoring drought, giving them a boost of momentum that they desperately needed.
Humber continued to chip away as the second quarter wound down. The Hawks had a chance to take a lead in the closing seconds, but a missed layup from Keith Laryea sent the Sting into the break with a slim one-point lead.
In the third quarter, Humber opened on a 14-5 run, erasing their one-point deficit and turning it into an eight-point lead in the process, at 49-41. Their lead reached as many as 11 points in the quarter, but Seneca managed to cut the deficit down to just four heading into the final frame.
Johnny Kitenge connected on a three ball to open the quarter, bringing the Sting to within a single point. That was as close as they would come down the stretch, as Humber maintained a lead through to the final buzzer. A layup from Morgan in the final minute put the game out of reach for the Sting.
Humber bent in the fourth quarter, but never broke, and they came away with the 78-73 win over Seneca to punch their ticket to the OCAA Championship Game on Sunday afternoon.
Guard Fowzi Mohamoud was named Player of the Game for the Hawks after posting 23 points and six assists.
Isaiah Ankra was named the Player of the Game for Seneca for the second day in a row. He finished with a game-high 30 points to go along with eight rebounds and five assists.