No. 7 Women's Basketball rolls on seniors night

By: Stefan Gerardi
Humber Athletics Communications

ETOBICOKE – No. 7 Humber women's basketball (15-1, 1^st West) cruised to a 40-point victory over the Sheridan Bruins (0-16, 10^th West), in front of a sold-out crowd Thursday evening at the Hawks' Nest. The entertaining matchup ended in a score of 87-47 in favour of the Hawks, who put on a show to close out the season. 

Kia Watt posted a team-high 27 points, while Marley Bonnick led the way for Humber with nine rebounds. Brittney English and Sarah Baptiste co-led in assists with three. Kayah Clarke also posted double-digit points in her final career home game, and three Hawks recorded multiple buckets from beyond the arc. 

Senior's night is a special tradition that celebrates the contributions of graduating student-athletes to Humber Athletics. Thursday night was women's basketball's final home game of the regular season, and a ceremony took place to commemorate the senior members of the team. Honourees included Brittney English, Kayah Clarke, Danielle Romany, and Kia Watt. 

Match Recap

The Bruins opened the scoring with a quick bucket, but a Kia Watt triple kicked off a 12-0 run that put Humber ahead by double digits early in the first quarter. Impressive all-around team play saw Humber's time of possession overshadow their rivals by a landslide. Brittney English was on fire from the three-point territory as she drilled two triples before the halfway mark of the opening frame to maintain the Hawks' lead. Sidney Crawford and Maezell Del Mundo also joined the three-point party with corner threes of their own. Sheridan struggled to get anything going on either end of the court, and Humber led by a dominating 21 points to conclude the first quarter. 

The opening minutes of the second frame proved to be more tightly contested than the first quarter. Both teams looked sloppy and struggled to get on the board as they combined for only ten points by the midway mark of the second quarter. This played in Humber's favour as they could preserve their big lead with little trouble. Although the Hawks didn't put on a scoring clinic as they did in the first, Humber still made it to halftime with a comfortable 48-24 lead. 

At the half, Humber shot 18-of-49 (36.7 per cent) from the floor and drained five buckets from beyond the arc. Through two quarters, the Hawks posted 34 rebounds and seven assists. Senior honouree Kia Watt led the way for Humber by racking up 13 points, including one triple. 

As the second half got underway, the Humber Hawks grew their already-massive lead to 36 with their second 12-0 run of the game. The Bruins looked defeated and lost every positive aspect of their game. Meanwhile, the Hawks' defence was world-class as they held their rivals scoreless for over six minutes. Humber outplayed their opponents mightily, while the Bruins struggled to keep their stride with the relentless pace of the Hawks' offence. The Hawks' lead grew to 40 points as the third quarter ended. 

The Humber Hawks went on an 8-0 run in the fourth quarter, bringing them close to a 50-point lead. As the senior honourees on the team were subbed off the court, the crowd erupted into a standing ovation to honour their contributions. The atmosphere at North Campus Gym was electric, and the Hawks easily defeated their rivals to wrap up their 2022-23 season. 

After the game, an enthusiastic Kia Watt stated, "It feels good to end off on a high note. Even though we lost last weekend, we're still here and ready to compete." 

Watt contributed over a third of Humber's 35 made field goals in the game. The Hawks shot 35-of-88 (39.8 per cent) from the floor and eight-of-41 from three-point territory as a team throughout the game. Humber made nine free throws and posted 57 rebounds alongside 13 assists. 

Humber Highlights

• Humber captured the eighth division title during the Coach Sharma era.
• The Hawks have won 24 straight home games dating back to 2019.
• Through ten seasons as head coach, Ajay Sharma has improved his record to 198-27.
• Kia Watt became the tenth player to join Humber's 600-point club.
• As a team, Humber finished the 2022-23 season atop the OCAA in points per game, rebounds per game, three-pointers, field goals, and field goal percentage. 

What's Next?

No. 7 Humber will open the postseason on Feb. 25 with a crossover game. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. and will be streamed live on the Hawks Sports Network.