Men's Basketball rolls No. 9 St. Clair to end homestand

By: William Shoukri
Humber Athletics Communications

ETOBICOKE - After playing one of its best games of the season on Saturday against Lambton, Humber men's basketball (10-5, 4th West) parlayed its performance with an even better one against the top team in the division: the St. Clair Saints (11-3, 1st West). The Hawks brought home the 93-82 win as Malik Grant led the way with a double-double, finishing with 22 points and ten rebounds. 

Game Recap 

With the ninth-ranked Saints in the building, Humber had to bring their best against one of the top teams in the nation. Facing one of the stingiest defences in the OCAA in St. Clair, the Hawks needed to focus on both ends of the court to send the Saints home without a smile. Humber wasted no time taking the game to St. Clair. The Hawks locked down on defence and the Saints were lost in the face of Humber's ball movement through the offensive zone. Humber would hold St. Clair to just a pair of points three minutes into the quarter, and St. Clair would be forced to call a timeout down 9-2. St. Clair would find their game, and some tough bounces resulted in in the Saints cutting their deficit to just one. The Hawks would start to take over again in the quarter's later stages, though. A pair of late Malik Grant free throws would give the Hawks a 24-19-point lead through ten minutes of action. 

St. Clair would come out of the break blazing, cashing in a layup and a three-pointer to get within one. The game stayed tight as the teams traded baskets through the midway point of the quarter. Humber would maintain their margin, not letting St. Clair take their first lead of the game. Back-to-back Jalen Menzies three-pointers would send the Hawks into halftime leading 53-48 against the best team in the conference. Menzies had 17 at the half, while Malik Grant led the way defensively with five rebounds. 

Humber came out for the second half calm, controlled, and collected. They'd already shown they could be the better team and were intent on continuing to show dominance against the best in the West. Humber went on a 7-0 run to start the half, forcing St. Clair to call a timeout while staring down the barrel of a 12-point deficit. The Hawks continued to attack defensively and would leave the third quarter leading 72-62. Malik Grant was the story of the quarter, scoring 10 points and pulling in three rebounds. 

The Hawks were rolling coming into the game's final quarter, leading by ten. The squad knew they had to focus on the defensive end of the court and protect their lead. Humber clogged passing lanes, contested shots and employed a tight man-on-man defensive scheme. Humber was up 87-78 with a minute left when Malik Grant hit the dagger three to send St. Clair home with heads bowed. The Hawks would win the game 93-82 and Jamani Barret was the player of the game, scoring 14 points on perfect shooting. 

Humber Highlights

• Humber is now tied for second in the West in total wins with ten.
• Malik Grant collected his second straight double-double and has four on the season.
• The Hawks improve to 26-6 all-time against St. Clair at the North Campus Gym, dating back to 1978.
• Taujh Motiki-Stephens leads the OCAA in field goal percentage. He's shooting with 72.7 per cent from the floor this season.
• Humber snaps St. Clair's four-game winning streak, handing them their first loss since December 30, 2023.

What's Next?

Humber will travel to Brampton to face the rival Sheridan Bruins (7-7, 6^th West). Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 PM, and you can catch the action at OCAA Live.