WINDSOR, Ont. - The 2023 OCAA Men's Basketball Championship is into Day 2 with much at stake for the four remaining teams, as they not only vie for a gold medal but the winner of each semi-final will also clinch a berth to the 2023 CCAA National Championship in Calgary, Alta. The first matchup of the day featured a contest between two nationally-ranked teams as the No. 11 Mohawk Mountaineers (16-4) squared off against the No. 3 George Brown Huskies (19-1).
The first quarter was a tug of war between two contrasting styles of play, with each team trying to impose their brand of basketball on the game. Mohawk struggled to get off as many three-point attempts as they would have liked against the pressing and switching defence of the Huskies. George Brown won round one of the battle 24-16 heading into the second frame.
The game opened up in the second quarter with plenty of end-to-end action but not much shot making from either team in another low scoring quarter. The Huskies held Mohawk to 17 second quarter points and took a 43-33 advantage into the intermission. The difference in the first half was ball security with George Brown forcing 13 turnovers that created 12 points, while only committing four turnovers themselves.
Mohawk came out of the locker room poised to make a run and quickly cut the Huskies lead to 43-37. George Brown responded with quality ball movement and sharing of the basketball and ballooned the spread to 20, forcing a Mohawk timeout. The top seeded Huskies took a stranglehold on the contest, going up 71-49 heading into the fourth and final quarter.
Mohawk continued to play hard to cut a dent into the George Brown spread but the Huskies proved to be too much as they captured the first of two available CCAA National Championship berths and advanced to the OCAA gold medal match with a 93-80 victory. The Huskies will now await the winner of the second semi-final, showcasing the host and top-seeded St. Clair Saints (16-3) taking on the Cinderella Lambton Lions (11-9). Mohawk will take on the loser of the second semi-final at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 5th for the bronze medal.
The Huskies shot 44 per cent from the field and made 11 three pointers, all while holding the Mohawk snipers to only six made threes for the contest on 21 per cent shooting from downtown. George Brown dominated the Mountaineers in reserve scoring as they netted 52 bench points to Mohawk's 19 off the bench.
The victorious Huskies had eight different players score eight points or more and had four players in double figures. Jeremiah Brown (Scarborough, Ont.) led the scoring charge for George Brown with 15 points and seven rebounds. He was joined in double figures by Caldre Campbell (North York, Ont.) with 13 points, Derrick Taylor (Toronto, Ont.) with 12 points and eight rebounds, and Chris Fields (Montreal, Que.) with 11 points and eight assists.
Mohawk's Jerry Jr. Mercury (Scarborough, Ont.) had an impressive double-double with 20 points and 20 rebounds. He had four different teammates support him with double digit scoring as Cale Calura (Hamilton, Ont.) tallied 15 points and Daniel Graham (Hamilton, Ont.) scored 14 points. Rommel Calura (Hamilton, Ont.) and Raivone Young (Halifax, N.S.) chipped in with 12 points in a losing cause.
Calura was named Player of the Game for Mohawk. Campbell was named Player of the Game for the George Brown Huskies.
Source: St. Clair Saints