Men's Basketball heading to CCAA final with another fourth quarter comeback

By: William Shoukri
Humber Athletics Communications

SAINT LAURENT - Humber men's basketball (23-1) took one step closer to gold on Thursday, shocking host Vanier (14-9) with a fourth-quarter comeback en route to a 69-63 win. Malik Grant was the player of the game, leading the Hawks with 17 points. Isaiah Brady-Clarke also had a great game, scoring 13 and adding four assists. Brady-Clarke was also responsible for the six free throws that secured the win for the Hawks.  

Humber booked its spot in the CCAA national championship game for the 12th time in program history - tying the Dawson Blues for the most championship final appearances. A rematch of the OCAA championship is on tap between the Hawks and the Durham Lords, after Durham won the provincial title on March 2 at the North Campus Gym.

Game Recap

This was the matchup the Humber Hawks wanted. Vanier finished 8-8 this season and earned its place in the tournament via host privileges. From tipoff, you could tell the Hawks knew they needed to take advantage of the situation presented to them. It was an intense start that resulted in little offence from both sides. Vanier pressured Humber intensely, and the Hawks responded likewise.

Humber and Vanier stayed tight throughout the quarter, but the Cheetahs would take a late lead with free throws. Vanier would lead 16-11 after ten. In the opening half of the second, Vanier took over. The Cheetahs went on a 9-1 run, taking a 12-point lead.

Humber would get the lead to single digits but struggled to really close the gap. Despite their best efforts, the Hawks trailed 31-26 at halftime.

Back from the break, Humber closed the gap to three points, but Vanier quickly re-established its lead and then some, slowly padding its lead, reaching 15 at one point. Humber spent the rest of the third fighting back from the deficit and would trail 50-42 going into the third.

In the final quarter, Humber finally started to pull even with Vanier. With the parallels to the last game evident, the Hawks figured they'd write the same story again. Taujh Motiki-Stephens sparked the energy in this one, tying the game with 7:30 left in the quarter. It was the first time Humber had been even in more than thirty minutes of game action.

As the squads traded baskets down the stretch, Malik Grant was fantastic, scoring six quick points to keep the Cheetahs on their heels.

And finally, after trailing for three quarters and trailing by 15 at the most, Jalen Menzies gave the Hawks their first lead since the opening baskets, scoring three points on a dramatic and-one finish at the rim.

Now leading 59-58 with just over three minutes remaining, Malik Grant hit another bucket. This time, it was a deep three in triple coverage, just beating the shot clock.

That shot would prove to be the dagger. Humber would ice the game with six straight free throws and cement its place in the gold medal match on Saturday, beating Vanier College 69-63.

Humber Highlights

• Humber improves 2-1 all-time against Vanier.
• Humber is now 13-7 in the CCAA semifinal round.
• The Hawks are 19-for-26 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter during the tournament's first two games, while their opponents are one-for-one.
• Humber had ten players contribute on the score sheet tonight.
• The Hawks improve to 55-25 all-time at the big dance.

What's Next?

Humber will face Durham in the CCAA gold medal game on Saturday, March 15. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 PM.