No. 5 HUMBER ADVANCES TO FINALS WITH WIN OVER NIAGARA; EARNS NATIONALS BERTH
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Niagara | 10 | 16 | 14 | 7 | 47 |
|
Humber | 28 | 17 | 19 | 30 | 94 |
By: Ronny Musikitele
Humber Athletics Sports Information
BARRIE, Ont — No. 5 Humber men's basketball (18-2, 1st West) wasted no time booking its ticket to nationals after another dominating victory over the No. 11 Niagara Knights (15-5, 3rd West), 94-47.
Jaylan Morgan led the way, recording a double-double and finished with 29 points (10-for-14) and 11 rebounds. Captain DeQuon Cascart added 16 points (six-of-nine) and four rebounds while Fowzi Mohamoud poured in 13 points (six-for-11) in the blowout victory.
The Hawks came out on fire in the first quarter. After giving up the first bucket of the game, Humber responded with a 16-0 run, scoring at will in the paint. Jaylan Morgan demonstrated why he's an OCAA All-Star, scoring 12 points in the opening frame and playing lockdown defence on the OCAA player of the year, Van Hutchinson Jr. Hawks went into the second with a 28-10 lead, led by their ball movement and their tight defence.
Fowzi Mohamoud picked up right where he left off last night, knocking down multiple three-pointers in the second quarter helping the Hawks grow their lead. Humber struggled for a stretch in the second quarter turning over the ball on various possessions, failing to make shots and racking up a total of 15 fouls by halftime. Niagara had opportunities to trim the lead but was unable to knock down free-throws, shooting eight-for-21 at the free throw line at halftime. Jaylan Morgan's 19 points in the first half helped the Hawks go into halftime leading, 45-26.
DeQuon Cascart's usual energy paid dividends for the Hawks in the third quarter. Cascart knocked down three straight three-pointers helping Humber take their biggest lead of the game at 28. Humber's playmaking and ability to crash the glass allowed the Hawks to maintain their big lead throughout the game.
Humber's defence held Van Hutchinson Jr. to just 10 points on four-of-15 shooting from the field. The team's athleticism allows them to be able to cover any opponent, no matter the size difference. Their lead would keep growing in the fourth quarter as they continued to knock down shots at an efficient rate while locking down the Knights offence.
Not many things went wrong for the Hawks in tonight's game. It seemed as though the coaches had the perfect game plan and the players executed it to perfection. After an overtime victory against Niagara Knight's in their last outing, they completely dominated both sides of the court in today's win.
Game Notes
- Humber improves to 8-0 all-time against Niagara in the postseason.
- Humber's 47-point win is the program's largest margin of victory in the postseason.
- The Hawks finished perfect from the line for the first time season.
- Humber improves to 26-8 (.765) all-time in the semifinal round.
What's Next?
No. 5 Humber will play for its league-best 15th provincial title on Mar. 2 against No. 7 Sheridan (15-5, 2nd West). Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.
The Matchup
- Humber is 11-5 all-time against the Bruins in the OCAA postseason - 6-4 all-time in the championship final.
- Humber and Sheridan split the season series 1-1, with each team winning on its home court.
- The Hawks will be playing in their 28th title game with an overall finals record of 15-12 (.556).
