Road to gold goes through No. 1 Men's Basketball
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Algonquin (1-1, 12-7) | 11 | 21 | 17 | 18 | 67 |
|
Humber (2-0, 19-0) | 28 | 23 | 20 | 27 | 98 |
By: William Shoukri
Humber Athletics Communications
ETOBICOKE - No. 1 Men's basketball (18-0, 1st West) made easy work out of its quarter-final matchup, taking down Algonquin (12-6, 4th East) 98-67. Humber built its lead in the first and never looked back. Malik Grant was the player of the game, scoring 22 and adding seven assists. Jalen Menzies also had a great game, amassing 15 points and collecting an unbelievable eight steals.
Game Recap
Facing Algonquin for the first time this season, the Hawks Nest wasn't sure how the two squads would match up.
Humber laid the fan's worries to rest quickly, though, looking like the better team on both sides of the ball early in the first.
Algonquin was built to compete with the Hawks, though. With the Wolves starting five consisting of four players over 6'2, Algonquin had the size and power to compete with the Hawks, where many other squads failed.
Humber only managed a slim lead in the opening five minutes before building some momentum and creating a 7-0 run down the stretch to take a ten-point lead. Humber continued the run, getting it all the way to 16-2 before closing out the quarter 28-11. Malik Grant was putting on a show early, scoring 11 points in the quarter on 60 per cent shooting.
Defence continued to be the theme in the second frame. After holding the Wolves to just 11 in the first, Humber looked to continue stifling one of the best offences in the OCAA.
Humber did just that, opening the quarter with an 11-2 run just three minutes into the quarter.
Humber didn't look back and continued to rock Algonquin, turning their 11-2 run into 17-5. Eventually, the whole quarter became a Humber run, with the Wolves unable to find success on either end of the court.
Humber went into halftime leading 51-32 thanks to 16 points from Malik Grant and six rebounds courtesy of Adrian Aluyi.
With assistant coach Carlo Zoffranieri outlining one goal for Humber – to keep pushing the pace, the Hawks did just that.
After the Wolves scored the opening buckets of the half, Humber responded, scoring nine straight.
Humber maintained the lead and its momentum. The Hawks weren't pulling away like the first half, but Algonquin couldn't close the gap even a little. Humber finished the third leading 71-49, outscoring Algonquin by three in the frame.
Back for the fourth and final quarter, Humber didn't need to do much. The Hawks just had to play responsibly, and they could ride their nearly thirty-point lead to a semi-final berth next week.
Algonquin had played well the last three quarters after Humber's dominance during the first, and the Wolves continued to impress with their resiliency. Algonquin didn't go away, keeping even with Humber down the stretch.
The Wolves' resilience wouldn't be enough, though, as Humber stayed calm through the game's final minutes, closing out its quarter-final matchup with a 98-67 win.
Humber Highlights
- Humber is now 24-6 all-time against Algonquin.
- Humber is now 32-3 all-time in quarter-final games.
- Humber has never lost a quarter-final at home, improving to 11-0 with the win today.
- The Hawks are the only team top-three in offensive and defensive ratings.
- Jalen Menzies is third in steals per game, averaging more than 2.5.
What's Next?
Top-ranked Humber will host the OCAA final four tournament at the Hawks Nest, beginning with a semifinal clash against No. 9 Georgian (18-2) at 3:30pm. You can catch the action the OCAA Live YouTube channel.
