SENECA HOSTS BELAIRDIRECT OCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

TORONTO - Seneca College in North York, Ont. plays host to the 2013 belairdirect Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Men's Basketball Championship, beginning Thursday and running through Saturday.

Eight teams will vie for the OCAA title, including the host Seneca Sting and defending champion Mohawk Mountaineers.

A total of 12 games will be played in a span of three days. Following the OCAA awards banquet at Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Toronto-Markham at 9 a.m., the OCAA quarter-finals will take place on Thursday afternoon beginning at 1 p.m. Losing teams will compete in the bronze medal quarter-finals on Friday, followed by the OCAA semi-final matches. The bronze medal semi-finals and final will take place on Saturday leading into the OCAA gold medal match.

Fans who are unable to attend the matches live can follow the proceedings via webcast. Visit the championship website for further information.

The OCAA champion advances to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men's Basketball National Championship, taking place in Montreal next month.

Here is a look at the OCAA quarter-finalists:

Algonquin Thunder (16-4, 3rd East)

The Algonquin Thunder had a near-perfect second half to their regular season, going 9-1. The Thunder defeated Algoma 69-52 in the OCAA qualifying round to secure a berth at the championship.

Algonquin boasts a pair of third-year offensive threats in guard Romaine Lawrence (Toronto) who averaged 17.7 points per game, and forward Garnet Blais (Ottawa) who averaged 14.6. Blais was the top rebounder on the Thunder with 133 boards.

Algonquin has been medal-less at the last three OCAA championships, earning silver in 2009. The Thunder dropped both of their games at last year's championship.

The Thunder take on defending champion Mohawk in Thursday's quarter-finals.

Centennial Colts (15-5, 4th East)

Centennial jumped out to a promising 9-1 start, but lost three of its last five games to close out the regular season. The Colts needed a 76-70 win over Niagara in the qualifying round to secure their invite to provincials.

Centennial has five players that averaged better than 10 points per game during the regular season. Tisaine Brown (Toronto) led the team averaging 16.1 points, while Justin Jarrett (Ajax) was a shade behind averaging 15.9. Jameel Williamson (Ajax), Tristan Stern (Whitby), and Liban Hassan (Scarborough) also averaged double digits in scoring.

The Colts last earned an OCAA medal in 2005, taking silver. Centennial lost to Mohawk in the quarter-finals last year.

Centennial faces Sheridan to begin this year's tournament. 

Fanshawe Falcons (14-6, 3rd West)

The Fanshawe Falcons have medalled in each of the last three provincials, including bronze last year.

Fanshawe was rolling at one point this season with a record of 12-2, but stumbled down the stretch, suffering a four-game losing streak. Fanshawe bounced back to win three straight, including a 77-56 win over St. Lawrence-Kingston to earn a berth to this year's championship.

The Falcons offence runs through third-year point guard Boyd Vassell (Kitchener). Vassell not only averaged a team-best 17.4 points per game during the regular season, but he also led the club with 74 assists.

Fanshawe has a quarter-final meeting with George Brown on Thursday.

George Brown Huskies (16-4, 2nd East)

The George Brown Huskies won their final five games of the regular season to secure a berth into the OCAA championship.

Despite losing the regional championship to championship host Seneca, George Brown won both meetings against the Sting during the regular season.

George Brown is led by fourth-year player Salissou Abdoulkader (Toronto) and second-year forward Bruno Silvestrin (Toronto). Both players averaged better than a dozen points per game, while combining for over 200 rebounds.

George Brown's last OCAA medal came in the form of silver back in 1990. The Huskies will look to move one step closer to a top-three finish in a quarter-final game against Fanshawe.

Humber Hawks (14-6, 4th West)

Humber's run of eight straight regional championships may have come to an end this year, but the Hawks have won seven of its last eight games, including an 88-76 win over Loyalist to qualify for the championship.

First-year power forward Tyrone Dickson (Scarborough) has been a welcome addition to the Hawks, leading the team with 243 points and 157 rebounds.

Humber doesn't have a habit of leaving the OCAA championship empty-handed, having medalled in 27 of the last 29 provincial tournaments.

The Hawks lost last year's gold medal game to Mohawk 89-86. Humber takes on host Seneca in this year's quarter-finals.

Mohawk Mountaineers (16-4, 2nd East)

The Mohawk Mountaineers ended a 40-year OCAA championship drought last season. They will now look to win back-to-back provincial titles for the first time in four decades.

Mohawk won five of its last six games to earn a berth to this year's tournament. Two of its four losses came at the expense of regional champion Sheridan.

Third-year forward Andrew Cicuttini (Dundas) led the Mountaineers in a pair of key statistical categories, including 14.4 points per game and 206 rebounds. Teammate Taylor Dowhaniuk (Dundas) led all of OCAA with 72 blocks.

Mohawk takes on Algonquin in Thursday's quarter-finals.

Seneca Sting (17-3, 1st East)

The Seneca Sting rebounded from an 8-12 record last year to win the OCAA East regional title. Seneca won a dozen straight games at one point this season, before dropping two of its last five contests.

Downtown rival George Brown proved to be a particular pain, as two of Seneca's three losses came against the Huskies.

Third-year veteran Felix Adjei (Toronto) was the only OCAA player to average better than 20 points per game. His 22.1 average amounted to 419 total points, 50 more than his closest rival.

Seneca last won an OCAA medal in 1993 when it earned silver. The Sting face another crosstown rival in Humber in the quarter-finals.

Sheridan Bruins (18-2, 1st West)

The Sheridan Bruins sport the best overall record in the OCAA, winning the West regional title.

Second-year forward Michael Selkridge (Brampton) led all West region players with 369 points, averaging 18.4 points per game.

Sheridan has three players that hit triple-digits in rebounds, including 161 for Jahmal McQueen (Oakville), 112 for Paul Williams (Brampton) and 110 for Roshean Keen (Brampton).

Sheridan won a silver medal in 2011. The Bruins lost two games at last year's championship. Sheridan faces Centennial in this year's quarter-finals.

OCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

Championship Website: www.senecacollege.ca/ocaa

Thursday, February 28
OCAA Awards Banquet - Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Toronto-Markham - 9 a.m.
Quarter-Finals
Game 1 - Fanshawe vs. George Brown - 1 p.m.
Game 2 - Centennial vs. Sheridan - 3 p.m.
Game 3 - Algonquin vs. Mohawk - 6 p.m.
Game 4 - Humber vs. Seneca - 8 p.m.            

Friday, March 1
Bronze Quarter-Finals
Game 5 - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 - 1 p.m.
Game 6 - Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 - 3 p.m.
Semi-Finals
Game 7 - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 - 6 p.m.
Game 8 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 - 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 2
Bronze Semi-Finals
Game 9 - Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 6 - 9 a.m.
Game 10 - Loser Game 8 vs. Winner Game 5 - 11 a.m.
Bronze Medal Game
Game 11 - Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10 - 4 p.m.
Gold Medal Game   
Game 12 - Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 - 6 p.m.

- OCAA -

ABOUT ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is a recognized leader in intercollegiate athletics in the province, dedicated to student athlete and sport development. The OCAA has 30 members sponsoring 16 league and tournament championships.

For additional information please contact:
Josh Bell-Webster
Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
Fax: 416-426-7308
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com