SHERIDAN CLINCHES BERTH AT NATIONALS WITH WIN OVER HUMBER
Day 2 of the 2017 Belairdirect OCAA Men's Basketball Championships continued. This time, a berth at nationals was at stake as the next chapter of a storied rivalry was going to be written between the third ranked Humber Hawks and the top seeded Sheridan Bruins. Both teams are from the OCAA West so this was shaping up to be a game for the ages.
Team Stats
| Game Statistics | Sheridan | Humber |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (31-87) | (32-93) |
| Field Goal % | 35.6% | 34.4% |
| Rebounds | 56 | 57 |
| Assists | 17 | 23 |
| Turnovers | 26 | 27 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 17 | 18 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 21 | 8 |
| Bench Pts | 22 | 23 |
SCARBOROUGH, ONT. - Day 2 of the 2017 Belairdirect OCAA Men's Basketball Championships continued. This time, a berth at nationals was at stake as the next chapter of a storied rivalry was going to be written between the third ranked Humber Hawks and the top seeded Sheridan Bruins. Both teams are from the OCAA West so this was shaping up to be a game for the ages.
And what a game it was! The fans from both sides were in attendance and boy, were they loud! Behind a dominating overtime performance on the defensive end, it was the Bruins who continued their unbeaten season with a 94-85 victory over the Hawks and ensured that there will be a new OCAA champion.
With that win, Sheridan not only advances to the gold medal match but also clinches a berth in the CCAA Championships.
Humber, who won a provincial title last year, will have to fight for a bronze medal against the loser of Niagara vs George Brown.
The game featured 16 lead changes and 15 ties as both teams fought tooth and nail until the very end. However, the biggest difference maker was from the free throw line as Sheridan hit 12 more free throws (26-36) than Humber (14-25). The Bruins also limited the Hawks to only one field goal made and three points in total in the extra frame. Along with that, Sheridan outscored Humber, 21-8, in second chance points.
Humber came out roaring to start off the game, going on an early 10-0 run to go up 14-9, on the strength of three consecutive triples. Forward Baljyot Judge was hot from long range, hitting three of his four triples in the quarter, and finishing with nine after one.
Sheridan would fight their way back, riding guard Ostap Choliy's (#8) eight points in the first frame, to took a 22-21 lead at the end of the quarter.
In the second quarter, Humber took back the lead and kept it for the rest of the frame. The Hawks pulled off six straight points midway through the second quarter to lead 37-30 and forced a Bruins timeout with 2:28 left until halftime. Sheridan then closed out the half on a 7-2 run and were down by two (39-37).
Forward CJ Bennett (#8) was the only Hawk in double figures while Choliy was the only Bruin in double figures. Both of them had 10 points each.
The third quarter saw the Bruins take the lead for the first time since the end of the first quarter. They went up 51-47 and forced a Humber timeout with 5:12 left in the quarter. The Hawks came right back at the Bruins, taking a late lead but a Sheridan basket had the Bruins up 63-62, heading into the final frame.
Sheridan guard Nick Campbell (#6) led the team with seven points in the quarter while Humber guard Trevor Mollison (#24) began to heat up in the third, scoring eight points.
It seemed like Sheridan was on the verge of taking control in this game in the fourth quarter as they extended their lead to six (79-73) with three minutes to go. However, Bennett came alive as he completed consecutive three point plays to tie the game up at 79.
After forward Brian Owusu (#33) gave Sheridan a two point lead with a basket, Hawks forward Tyrone Dickson (#10) and Bruins guard Dylan Periana (#7) each split a pair of free throws before Mollison hit a short jumper to tie the game up at 82.
Humber had a chance to pull off the upset at the buzzer but Mollison's three point attempt went in and out, sending the game into overtime.
In the extra frame, the Bruins scored the first five points but were up 88-85 with less than a minute to go. However, Humber guard Gibson Eduful (#3) missed a game tying three and Sheridan iced the game at the line with six straight made free throws, four from Owusu and a pair from Periana.
It was a balanced attack for the Bruins as five players scored in double figures. Periana led Sheridan with 17 points and six assists while Owusu and centre Paul Williams (#42) each had 16. Owusu had a team high four steals while Williams had 12 rebounds, three blocks and three steals. Choliy had 15 points and a game high four blocks while Campbell had 14.
For Humber, it was a balanced attack as well as five players also scored in double figures. Bennett and Dickson had 17 points each while Mollison had 16 points. Judge and forward Ancil Martin (#13) had 12 apiece to cap off Humber's leading scorers. Dickson had a game high 15 rebounds while Eduful had a game high nine assists and seven steals.
Choliy was named Player of the Game for the Bruins while Dickson was named Player of the Game for the Hawks.