HAWKS A STEP AWAY FROM PERFECT REGULAR SEASON
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Humber | 13 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 69 |
|
Niagara | 8 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 49 |
WELLAND, ON: The Humber Hawks women's basketball team are a single win away from completing a clean sweep of all 18 regular season games. The opportunity to hit this milestone will present itself in the way of a road game on Friday night against the Niagara Knights. Humber is currently on a win streak of 33 games, spanning OCAA regular season and playoff games.
The tip is set for 6:00 pm, from the Niagara College Athletic Centre in Welland.
The game itself, beyond that of completing an undefeated regular season, carries absolutely no significance in the standings for the Hawks as they have clinched the West Division title.
On the other hand, the game carries a number of playoff scenarios for the host Knights. They are currently involved in a logjam with two other teams for the final two playoff spots. Niagara is 8-9, Redeemer 7-10, and Lambton rolls in at 7-9. There is a possibility of all 3 teams finishing the season with identical 8-10 records. Niagara is through to the playoffs already, as the host school for the 2016 OCAA Provincial championship, but their final spot in the standings will determine their first round opponent.
The two teams met earlier this season, in November at the Humber Athletic Centre. The Hawks walked away with a solid 20 point win, 71-51. Humber had four women in double figures, led by Llyandra Kerr and her 18 points. As usual, Courtney McPherson led the Knights, this evening with 17 points.
The Hawks are a deep team that shares in the scoring each and every night. Ceejay Nofuente leads the way with 13.9 ppg, and is joined by three other players who are scoring at a pace above 10 points per game. Courtney McPherson, as mentioned above, is eighth in league scoring, checking in with a mark of 14.6 ppg. Sister Kaitlyn and Alyssa McCabe are also keys in the Niagara offence, with both scoring at a rate of 11.3 ppg.
|
Team |
W |
L |
PF |
PA |
|
HUMBER |
17 |
0 |
1381 (81.24 ppg) |
823 (48.41 ppg) |
|
NIAGARA |
8 |
9 |
1143 (67.24 ppg) |
943 (55.47 ppg) |
Humber is on the verge of breaking their own OCAA single season scoring record, set in 1998-99. That year the Hawks scored 1392 points in 16 regular season games. The current Hawks sit with 1381 points and a sure bet to break the record on Friday, requiring only 11 to tie and 12 to set the new mark. The one mark the 2016 Humber squad will not touch is the points per game mark of 87. Humber would need to score 186 points to best that average.
Fun Fact: The 1989-99 Hawks, beyond scoring at a pace of 87 points for per game, only allowed 506 points in 16 games – an incredible mark of 31.625 points per game against. This is a per-game difference of 55.375 points per game.
The game offers a challenge to both coaching staffs. Humber can opt to rest a few key players in preparation of their upcoming defence of their 2015 title, or go "all in" to stay perfect. Niagara is in a similar spot, as with their ticket already punched to the playoffs, will they risk injury in a game that only decides a future playoff opponent.
Watch "LIVE" – courtesy of Niagara Athletics:
