OCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS BEGIN SATURDAY

The Ontario Colleges Athletics Association (OCAA) Round of 16 matches have been set for men's basketball, with eight elimination matches taking place this weekend.

The top eight teams in each division advance to the post-season and will compete in an inter-divisional crossover round based on seeding (1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, etc.). Winners will advance to the quarter-finals next weekend. All matches in the opening two rounds will be hosted by the higher seeded team.

The final four surviving teams will advance to the OCAA championship to be hosted by the top remaining seed. The OCAA Men's Basketball Championship will take place over a two-day span between Feb. 28 - Mar. 2.

George Brown (7-11, 6th East) at Sheridan (12-6, 3rd West)
Saturday, Feb. 15 - 2 p.m.

The Sheridan Bruins went 6-4 in their last 10 regular season games to clinch the third seed in the west and a home playoff game.

Sheridan third-year shooting guard Travis Clouden (Brampton) led all OCAA players with 193 rebounds during the regular season.

The George Brown Huskies went 4-6 in their last 10 regular season games.

Fourth-year guard Iffy Chiekwe (Dartmouth, N.S.) averaged 14.8 points per game for the Huskies in eight winter semester contests.

Niagara (10-8, 5th West) at Algonquin (12-6, 4th East)
Saturday, Feb. 15 - 3 p.m.

The Algonquin Wolves are making their return to the OCAA crossovers after a 4-14 record a season ago.

Second-year forward Tesloch Luk (Ottawa) is the top scorer on the Wolves averaging nearly 20.0 points per game.

The Niagara Knights had a strong second half of the regular season, going 8-2 in their last 10 games.

Third-year wing Skylar Samuel (Douglasville, Ga.) tops all Niagara players averaging 15.1 points per game.

Centennial (11-7, 5th East) at Mohawk (11-7, 4th West)
Saturday, Feb. 15 - 3:30 p.m.

The Mohawk Mountaineers went 6-4 in their last 10 regular season games.

Third-year forward Marko Dosen (Hamilton) leads all Mountaineers with a 14.8 points per game average.

The Centennial Colts have gone 7-3 in their last 10 games against East Division opponents.

Centennial second-year guard Tavonn Mars Buckley (Scarborough) led all OCAA players with 347 total points and a 20.4 points per game average.

Fleming (5-13, 7th East) at St. Clair (16-2, 2nd West)
Saturday, Feb. 15 - 3:30 p.m.

The St. Clair Saints are on a six-game winning streak and led the entire league with a 96.9 points per game average.

St. Clair third-year student-athlete Amari Frye (Ypsilanti, Mich.) led the OCAA with 103 assists, while fourth-year forward Mazin Tiea (Windsor) was the OCAA leader with 46 blocks.

The Fleming Phoenix are returning to the OCAA post-season after finishing at the bottom of the East Division last season.

First-year point guard Mani Maynard (Niagara Falls) and first-year forward Isaac Walker (Niagara Falls) both averaged 11.8 points per game for the Phoenix.

Conestoga (6-12, 7th West) at Georgian (16-2, 2nd East)
Saturday, Feb. 15 - 3:30 p.m.

The Georgian Grizzlies enter the OCAA crossovers on an 11-game winning streak. Georgian led the East Division with an 89.2 points per game average.

Second-year forward Trey Wilson (Barrie) leads all Grizzlies averaging 16.5 points per game.

The Conestoga Condors have gone 4-6 in their last 10 regular season games.

First-year forward Emanuel Liyaw (Kitchener) is averaging 12.8 points per game to lead all Condors.

Lambton (7-11, 6th West) at Seneca (12-6, 3rd East)
Saturday, Feb. 15 - 4:30 p.m.

The Seneca Sting allowed a league-fewest 66.8 points against per game during the regular season.

Seneca second-year centre Jerron Alexander (Vaughan) led all East Division players with 175 regular season rebounds.

The Lambton Lions have gone 3-7 in their last 10 games, however, have won their last two contests.

Fifth-year guard Jerry Wilson (Detroit, Mich.) led the Lions with a 14.9 points per game average.

Fanshawe (5-13, 8th West) at Durham (17-1, 1st East)
Saturday, Feb. 15 - 5 p.m.

The Durham Lords narrowly missed an undefeated regular season, losing their second-to-last game.

Durham fourth-year forward Mark Stoop (Oshawa) led all East Division players with 32 blocks.

The Fanshawe Falcons have gone 3-7 in their last 10 regular season games.

Fanshawe first-year guard Tyrease Phouttharath (Centralia) led all West Division players with 46 steals.

La Cité (5-13, 8th East) at Humber (18-0, 1st West)
Saturday, Feb. 15 - 8 p.m.

The Humber Hawks are OCAA's only undefeated team this regular season. Humber led all West Division teams allowing just 68.1 points against per game.

Fourth-year small forward Malik Grant (Brampton) led all Hawks with a 16.2 points per game average.

La Cité Coyotes won their last three regular season games, including a 75-73 win at Loyalist last Saturday, to clinch a berth in the crossovers.

Second-year guard Ricardo Jeanty (Montreal, Que.) has averaged 10.3 points per game for the Coyotes during the regular season.

With the tiebreaker "possession arrow" pointing towards the West Division this year, the Humber Hawks would host the OCAA championship if they win their next two.

- OCAA -

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E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com