HAWKS CONTINUE WINNING WAYS AGAINST NIAGARA
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Niagara | 14 | 12 | 16 | 9 | 51 |
|
Humber | 17 | 26 | 19 | 9 | 71 |
By: Eugenio Garro
ETOBICOKE, ON: For the Humber Hawks women's basketball team, winning is the only thing on their mind as of late. The first place Hawks extended their win streak Wednesday night after defeating the Niagara Knights 71-51 in front of a loud home crowd.
The Hawks and Knights battled through the first quarter, exchanging buckets and the lead. The Knights held the lead for a moment, however Humber was able to rally and retake the lead by the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was simply dominated by the Hawks who added to their lead thanks to some hot shooting and good rebounding at both ends of the floor. The halftime score would be 43-26 in favour of Humber.
The third and fourth quarters remained the same as Humber was simply too strong for Niagara. The final score in this game would be 71-51 for the Hawks.
On offence, the Hawks moved the ball with precision, setting up easy looks and getting points from eight players throughout the game. The Hawks defence was also too strong for Niagara on the night, continuing their dominance from the previous game against Sheridan.
Offensively, the Hawks got off to a slow start but were still able to score over 70 points against Niagara, who was only giving up 52 points-a-game on average. Humber was led in scoring by fifth-year forward Llyandra Kerr who finished with 18 points on the night. The Markham native has now scored 15 points or more in five games this season.
Atissa Cronk of the Hawks was named player of the game. The fourth-year power forward recorded her first double-double of the season, finishing with a season-high 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Honourable mentions go out to Hawks Ceejay Nofuente and Natalie Hagopian. Nofuente, who narrowily missed a triple-double, finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. Hagopian, a native of Thornhill, finished with 14 points after shooting an incredible four of six from three-point range.
For Niagara, the McPherson sisters were the only Knights to finish in double digit scoring. Courtney McPherson finished with a double-double, recording a team-high 15 points and 11 rebounds. Kaitlyn McPherson finishied with 10 points and three rebounds.
With the win, Humber improves to 28-9 all-time against the Niagara Knights and extended their win streak to 21 consecutive OCAA regular season games.
The Hawks will now play one more regular season game before Christmas break, when they host the 4-3 Redeemer Royals on December 3rd. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 6:00pm.
