Posted: Feb 28, 2017

HAWKS OPEN 2017 OCAA CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT ON THURSDAY

Humber

Seneca

Final

Humber

Seneca

SCARBOROUGH, ON: The Humber Hawks, defending OCAA champions, will open defence of their title on Thursday afternoon at the Centennial College Athletic Centre. The Seneca Sting will provide the opposition, with the tip slated for 3:00 pm.

THE MATCH UP

OCAA Men's Basketball Quarter Finals
Humber "Hawks"             vs            Seneca "Sting"
12-4, 3^rd West                                    17-3, 2^nd East
Thursday, March 2/17
3:00 pm                                Centennial College Athletic Centre

HOW THEY ARRIVED

The Hawks advanced to the final eight championship by way of a 100-75 crossover win over the St. Lawrence Vikings on Saturday at home. Due to the East being the host team, Seneca, who would normally receive a bye by finishing second in their division, were forced to play a cross-over playoff game to gain entrance. The Sting defeated the St. Clair Saints at home, by a score of 80-76.

LAST TIME OUT VS SENECA

Although the teams do not meet in regular season play, the two teams did meet up at the East/West Holiday Challenge during the holidays. In fact, the game took place on the very same court at Centennial, where the championships will take place this week. After winning the first two games against top East Division competition, Humber went on to roll over the Sting by a score of 91-49. The score in that game is certainly not indicative of what both teams will see this week, as holiday events may or may not have full rosters available due to family commitments.

The two teams have not met in regular season play since the 2006/07 season. Humber holds a 40-17 regular season record over Seneca, and were on a run of 29 straight wins before the division structure changed.

SCOUTING SENECA

They arrive at the quarterfinal game by way of a three game winning streak, by taking the last 2 victories of the regular season, then snaring a win in the crossover playoff game
The Sting averaged 79 points a game in offence, and surrendered a league best 63.60 points against.
They boats a team shooting average of 43.5%, 3 points average of 33.7%, and shoot 67.4% from the charity stripe
As a team, they rank first in four categories, strong indicators that this is a very good squad. As mentioned earlier, they are stingy and have allowed the lowest points per game, and they are number one in blocks per game (5.4). As well, they lead in least turnovers (14) and personal fouls per game (12.7)
The Sting boast a foursome that average better than 11 points a game. Khalil Miller leads the way at 15.2 points per game, while Yusuf Ali is just a sliver behind at 15.1 ppg.

HAWK NOTES

Humber also arrives with a winning streak of three games. Similar to Seneca, the Hawks won the last two regular season games and then rolled through the crossover qualifier
Unlike many previous years, the Hawks have displayed an offensive positive outburst this year, as they have scored an average of 81 points per game. They continue to be one of the most defensive minded teams as well, holding teams to under 70 points
The two teams have eerily similar team shooting statistics, with only percentage points between them in field goal , three-point and free throw percentage
The usual supsects lead the Hawks offensively. Ancil Martin checks in at number one for the Hawks, with a mark of 14.3 ppg. Tyrone Dickson (13.4) and CJ Bennett (11.8) are next in line.
Point Guard Gibson Eduful is coming off his best scoring night of the season, as he poured in 24 points in the win over St. Lawrence.
Rebounding and shot blocks have been the key to the Humber's success. They are first in rebounds margin per game average (10.6) and fourth in blocks per game (4.7)

HISTORY WATCH