Late rally lifts No. 11 Men's Basketball past No. 7 Mohawk

By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications

ETOBICOKE – The energy at the Hawks' Nest was unmatched as the defending provincial champions, No. 11 Humber men's basketball (3-0, 3^rd West), took on the No. 7 Mohawk Mountaineers (3-1, 1^st West) on Wednesday evening. The Hawks rallied from behind and defeated the Mountaineers, 85-78. Adrian Aluyi led the Hawks offensively with a team-high 12 points, while Malik Grant was all around the paint with eight defensive rebounds.

Game Recap

The Humber Hawks were back at the Nest for their 2024 home opener. Coming off a great season in which they reached the OCAA mountaintop and secured bronze at nationals, Humber kicked off the year with back-to-back victories over the Niagara Knights and the Sheridan Bruins.

The game was intense right from the tip-off. The Mountaineers' strategy was to start strong, and they quickly established a 5-0 lead. The five-point advantage was short-lived as Isaiah Brady-Clarke and Kwabena Antwi combined six points to put Humber ahead on the scoreboard. Mohawk played smart in the paint, shooting a perfect five-for-five from the charity line, which helped them take a 17-14 lead. The Hawks' defence responded effectively to the Mountaineers' game, with back-to-back blocks and steals leading to layups by Taujh Motiki-Stephens and Jalen Menzies to put Humber back ahead. The Hawks left the quarter up 20-19.

As the second quarter got underway, the crowd watched both teams trading points and the lead. Humber eventually found a good sequence by mixing plays both in the paint and beyond the arc; Kameron David converted the and-one and Brady-Clarke hit a laser from downtown. The Hawks stretched their lead to nine points, 38-29, with 3:43 left in the clock. But, things got shaky when Humber struggled with many turnovers, allowing the Mountaineers to tie the game at 42-42 at halftime.

In an effort to change the tempo after a disappointing final three minutes before the break, third-year forward Lucas Lewis cashed three buckets to give Humber a strong start to the third quarter. However, the Hawks once again could not maintain the momentum, letting Mohawk rally from behind. Both teams went to the final quarter with the scoring tied at 65-65.

The odds did not look promising for the Hawks as the Mountaineers jumped to a 77-73 lead with just four minutes left in the quarter. But, Mohawk soon realized that the Nest only needed a small spark to ignite their team's energy. Big-game player Kwabena Antwi drove to the hoop and posterized a Mohawk defender with a dunk, signalling the start of a comeback. Humber then went on a 10-0 run, sending the visiting team on a timeout with 23 seconds left on the clock. Mohawk managed to score their first point in over four minutes from the free-throw line, but the Hawks moved the ball quickly around the perimeter and managed the final seconds of the game, giving the Mountaineers their first loss of the season with a final score of 85-78.

Third-year forward Adrian Aluyi was named the Player of the Game, scoring a team-high 12 points and grabbing four rebounds.

Humber Highlights

• The Hawks improve to 61-28 all-time against the Mountaineers.
• Humber holds a 31-8 all-time record against Mohawk at the Nest.
• This was Humber's first home-opener victory since the 2022 season.
• Coach Omar Miles boasts a 49-16 career record.
• This was Humber's first match of the season against a nationally-ranked team.
• Lucas Lewis sits second in the OCAA with a 76.5 field goal percentage.
• This was Malik Grant's first double-double of the season, finishing with ten points and ten rebounds.
• Humber's 85 points are the most Mohawk has surrendered this season.

What's next?

The Hawks will now travel to London to face the Fanshawe Falcons (0-3, 8^th West) on Wednesday, Nov. 6. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.