HUSKIES WEEKLY PLAYOFF PREVIEW

WOMEN LOOK TO KEEP ROLLING

*Reminder: seating at the event is on a first come first serve basis. Come to the game early to get the best seat possible.*

The Huskies (13-3, 2nd in East) are getting hot at the right time. They ended the season on a six-game winning streak, which included a victory over the top OCAA team in the Algonquin Thunder. Home court advantage is huge for George Brown in the crossover playoff game against Mohawk College (7-11, 7th in West) because the team is undefeated, 8-0 at Casa Loma Athletic Centre this season. 

A big reason for the Huskies dominant play in 2020 is their defence. They have held opponents to shoot just 36% from the floor while surrendering under 60 points per game since the New Year. Those ingredients translated to a 7-1 record in the second half of the season. 

Offensively, the Huskies rely on Zae Sellers and Victoria Lawrence to carry the load. In her final year of collegiate basketball, Sellers experienced a career season. She ranked in the top five of the OCAA with 19.3 points, 4.7 assists, and 45 three-pointers made. Running mate Victoria Lawrence is the definition of game-changer. She averaged 16.9 points, nine rebounds and four steals per game. She is only one of two players to be ranked in the top 10 in all three of those categories provincially.

The Mountaineers ended the season winning four of their last five games. They enjoy playing a high tempo style and are not afraid to shoot the basketball at any point in the shot clock. For instance, Mohawk took the sixth most shots (1,332) during the regular season. The entire Mountaineers offence runs through guard Sam Pocrnic. The fourth-year player sat second in the province for points per game at 21.9 and first in total points at 394. Earlier in February, Pocrnic broke the all-time scoring record for Mohawk College and currently ranks second on the OCAA all-time scoring list.   

The Mountaineers have struggled defensively and rebounding throughout the season. They rank second-last in total rebounds per game (35.9) and opponents' field goal percentage (40.2%). If the Huskies can take advantage of those two areas, while slowing down Pocrnic, they would put themselves in an excellent position advance to the OCAA Championship.

HUSKIES READY FOR DEEP RUN

The Huskies (17-3, 1st in East) are attempting to right the wrong from last year. The squad ended the season with two massive victories, one being a 17-point comeback against Seneca and a blow out win over Georgian. 

Last year the men missed the OCAA Championship for the first time in three years after being upset by Lambton at home. This time around, the Huskies will rely on their balanced offence and active defence against Niagara College (8-12, 8th in East). George Brown loves playing in front of their home crowd as they were 10-0 at home this season.

The team ranked in the top three for field goals made (35.5) and points per game (92.7) during the regular season. A key reason is the amount of depth George Brown contains. Led by veteran forward Kingslee D'Silva, five players averaged double-digit points this campaign. The team's ball movement and unselfish play are like no other. They averaged the second-most assists per game in the province at 21.9 during the regular season.

The Huskies are also very strong defensively allowing the fewest points per game at 71.8. Led by point guard Chris Fields, the team averaged an OCAA best 16.2 steals and 24.3 forced turnovers per game. This is especially important when the offence is not functioning at an elite level, the team can rely on their defence to lead to easy buckets. 

Despite the Knights sub .500 record, they are solid in a few areas. The squad is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the league ranking in the top 10 in three's attempted, made and percentage. If they get hot from the outside, it will be tough for the Huskies to go point for point with them. The next aspect is defence. Niagara held opponents to the second-lowest field goal percentage at 39.2% and ranked seventh in points allowed at 79.2 per game. 

If the Huskies learned anything from last year is to never take an opponent lightly, no matter what.