The George Brown Huskies won their own tournament for the second straight year at the 42nd Annual Huskies Men's Basketball Tournament.
The Huskies offence struggled in the first two rounds but found its mojo in the final, beating the Lambton Lions by a blowout score of 113-62. George Brown shot over 61% in the first half to jump out to a 53-21 advantage, and the defending champions did not look back the rest of the way shutting down any possible Lions comeback.
Without the services of team scoring leaders Christian Tabiri, Naseem Barry and sharpshooter Robert Ocampo for the tournament, the Huskies showcased a depth of roster that reaffirms the team's current #5 ranking in Canada.
Case in point, George Brown rookie Derrick Taylor earned tournament MVP honours after a combined 54 points, 18 rebounds and eight steals over three games, while teammates Chris Fields and Haany Ahmed were named tournament all-stars.
The semi-final matchup against the Durham Lords was the definition of perseverance for the Huskies. The offence stalled numerous times shooting under 35% in the first three quarters and found themselves in a 59-45 hole. In the fourth the switched turned on. They opened the final stanza on a 18-4 run to take their first lead since the opening quarter. The defence did the rest, holding the Lords to only nine points in the frame.
Huskies guard Ahmed had himself a strong overall game, posting a team-high 18 points, eight assists, five rebounds and six steals in the victory.
The Lambton Lions earned their way to the final posting an upset victory over one of the OCAA's best St. Clair Saints. It was a track meet right from tipoff, with both teams shooting over 50% from the field in the contest. The Lions' Jason Watts was unstoppable in the game. The forward posted 34 points on 11-of-12 shooting and also nailed all six free throws.
The Huskies now head into the second half of the regular season on high note. They are back in action on Friday night at home against Centennial. Tip-off is scheduled for 8pm at Casa Loma Campus.
Consolation Bracket
Thanks to an overall team effort that saw six Coyotes hit double-digits, La Cite took down Mohawk in the consolation final 91-81. Coyotes' Harouna Diop was named a tournament all-star after registering a total of 50 points in three games.
La Cite bounced back after a tough first round loss to get to the final with an 80-77 win over Georgian. The Coyotes had a significant advantage of 15 points, 47-32, at the half. Even with a late push from the Grizzlies, they were able to punch their ticket to the consolation final. Nickolas Gardner posted a game-high 19 points for the Coyotes off the bench.
The Mountaineers got to the final edging out the St. Lawrence Vikings 94-86 in the first game on Day 2. Mohawk shot an impressive 59.3% in the contest, which included 13 three-pointers. Cudjoe Masuka, who put up a game-high 25 points was one of four Mountaineers in double-digits by the end.
Tournament Awards
MVP: Derrick Taylor, George Brown
All-Stars:
- Chris Fields - George Brown
- Haany Ahmed – George Brown
- Jason Watts – Lambton
- Tyrelle Miller – Lambton
- Harouna Diop – La Cite
Day 2 Results
Final: George Brown 113, Lambton 62 – Box score
Semi-final: George Brown 70, Durham 67 – Box score
Semi-final: Lambton 96, St. Clair 90 – Box score
Consolation final: La Cite 91, Mohawk 81 – Box score
Consolation semi-final: La Cite 80, Georgian 77 – Box score
Consolation semi-final: Mohawk 95, St. Lawrence 86 – Box score
For full results listing, visit the Men's Basketball Tournament Page.