No. 5 HUMBER FALLS TO No. 7 SHERIDAN IN OCAA TITLE GAME, 86-70

By: Ronny Musikitele
Humber Athletics Sports Information

BARRIE, Ont -- No. 5 Humber men's basketball lost a hard-fought game against rival No.7 Sheridan in the OCAA final, 86-70.

Fowzi Mohamoud led the way for the Hawks scoring 13 points and grabbing five rebounds. DeQuon Cascart, Jaylan Morgan and Curwin Elvis all put up 11 points respectively. Kaheel Bakari-Whyte led the way for the Bruins, finishing with 20 points and nine rebounds. Jemol Edwards put up 17 points and four rebounds while Nick Campbell recorded a double-double, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The opening frame began just as expected, a back and forth battle. The defensive intensity on both sides prevented either team from shooting the ball efficiently. The Bruins came out with an early full-court press, putting pressure on Humber's guards early but the Hawks managed to break the attempted press. Despite the fast break opportunities presenting themselves early, Humber failed to shoot the ball efficiently in the first half preventing them from gaining any kind of rhythm. The Bruins, however, also struggled to score, but their ability to crash the glass helped them have the momentum early on. Curwin Elvis and Fowzi Mohamoud led the way for Humber in the first half. The foul calls prevented the rest of the Hawks from building any kind of flow with many of its players getting into foul trouble early. As the game stayed relatively close in the first half, Kevin Otoo knocked down a much-needed three-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at the break, 35-35.

Fowzi Mohamoud got hot in the second half and helped the Hawks take their biggest lead of the game at six. Unfortunately, the Bruins would respond with a 10-0 run, and never looked back. The foul calls and the inability to knock down shots at their usual rate prevented the Hawks from building any kind of momentum throughout the game.  The Bruins dominated the points in the paint, scoring a total of 42 inside and out rebounding the Hawks 52-34.

In summary, Humber failed to convert shots, shooting a season-low 31.0 per cent (22-for-71) from the field throughout the game and failed to grab rebounds at its usual rate. It was not a night to remember as the Bruins took the Hawks out of their game in almost every aspect.

This marks the 11th time these two teams have faced each other in the OCAA Gold Medal game, with the Hawks leading 6-5 all-time. The win gives the Bruins their 13th provincial title - one shy of Humber's league record 14.

Jaylan Morgan and Kevin Otoo were named to the all-tournament team.

What's Next?
No. 5 Humber will now head West to Langley, British Columbia to compete in the 2019 CCAA National Championship Mar. 14-16, hosted by Langara College. Humber's quarter-final matchup will be announced later this week.