HAWKS OPEN, THEN SLAM DOOR ON FANSHAWE IN SEMI WIN
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Humber ( ) | 17 | 10 | 25 | 18 | 70 |
|
Fanshawe ( ) | 4 | 20 | 9 | 18 | 51 |
NORTH YORK, ON: The Humber Hawks played a little "Jekyll and Hyde" in their 70-51 championship semi-final win over Fanshawe on Friday night at the Seneca Athletic Centre. The Hawks went out to a huge first quarter lead, only to let it slip away, and then exploded in the third to put the game away.
With the victory, the Hawks have advanced to the 2017 OCAA women's basketball championship game on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons will vie for bronze. Humber has won the last two OCAA crowns, and are the defending CCAA national champions.
Humber put together one of the most dominant quarters in championship play history to open the game. They held the Fanshawe squad to only four points in the ten-minute frame, while burying 17 themselves. Player of the Year Ceejay Nofuente, along with a swarming team defence, were responsible for the big lead.
The second started as the first ended, and saw Humber extend the lead to 19-4. From that point on, the London based club took over the game and put a scare in to the favoured Hawks. Fanshawe outscored Humber 20-8 from that point, and cut the Hawks lead to three at the half. Ali Vlasman was outstanding, scoring at will while dishing off the ball for easy lay-ups.
Cue the return of "Jekyll" for the Hawks in the third quarter. Just as they did in the opening quarter, they dominated play, and it was reflected on the scoreboard. The three point lead moved into double digits, and the double digit lead got above twenty.
As the fourth quarter got underway, the game was already out of reach.
Humber was led by Nofuente, as she poured in 25 points in 35:32 minutes. She was supported by Humber Player of the Game Aleena Domingo, and her mark of 17 points, based on 8 for 13 shooting.
Vlasman's 26 point effort earned her the Fanshawe Player of the Game award. No other Falcon scored more than six points.
Give a gold star to the entire defence. Their commitment to denying both the lane and passes put the Falcons off their game.
Humber will play the Mohawk Mountaineers in the gold medal game on Saturday evening. The tip is set for 5:00 pm, at the Seneca College Athletic Centre.
