HUSKIES PLAYOFF PREVIEW

Basketball

The men’s basketball team begins their OCAA Championship title defence as they host the Centennial Colts in the first round of the playoffs on Wednesday night.

The Huskies finished atop the East Division for the second straight season with a 6-2 record. After dropping the first two games, the team has won six consecutive games by an average margin of 22 points. What’s been the most impressive has been their defence. George Brown is currently allowing an average of 70.9 points per game, the fewest in the province. They also rank fourth in opponents’ field-goal percentage (39.6%) and second in opponents’ three-point percentage (24.6%).

The Colts are currently riding a three-game losing streak, averaging 65.6 during the run. In the meeting this season, George Brown held Centennial to shoot 29.7% from the field to defeat them 88-57. The Huskies will have to keep an eye on Covaun Armstrong and Quentin Herbert. The pair are averaging 20.8 points and 16.8 points, respectively.

The women’s team will face off against the Durham Lords for the third time in three weeks. The Huskies finished fifth in the East Division with a 3-5 record. The team is coming off an impressive victory over the Seneca Sting in the season finale when they snapped a Seneca five-game winning streak in the process.

The defence will be a massive factor in this contest for George Brown as Durham ranks in the top three for points per game (69.7) and field goal percentage (40.5%). In the head-to-head games this season, the Huskies couldn’t slow down the Lords who went 2-0.

Players to Watch

#4 Jacob Masters (men’s basketball)
The first-year guard has been extremely efficient throughout the season, averaging 13.5 points per game, shooting 45.7% from the field and 41.9% from the three-point range. He has hit double-digit points in five of the eight games. Masters has been highly efficient as of late, posting 17 points in just 19 minutes in the season finale win over the Seneca Sting.

#10 Thorin Pangan (women’s basketball)
The first-year guard looked right at home this season for the Huskies. She finished the campaign second on the team, averaging 10 points while putting up 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. She’s coming off a career performance in the season finale posting 22 points on 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, 7-for-9 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. She also recorded five rebounds and two assists in the victory.

VOLLEYBALL

The women’s volleyball team is coming off a fantastic shutout performance over La Cite to finish fifth in the East Division with a 3-5 record. They face off against their GTA rival, the Seneca Sting (4-4, 4th East), who just snapped a three-match losing streak with a 3-0 shutout win over the Loyalist Lancers. 

This squad contains a balanced attack in their starting lineup, with veterans Ashley Lau, Megi Memcaj and Angelique Agustin taking over matches in the past. The Huskies are at their best when all three are making an impact offensively. 

The men’s volleyball team heads into the playoff after finishing 6th in the East with a 3-5 record. They will face the Algonquin Wolves (6-2, 3rd East), who they wrapped up their season against on Saturday afternoon. The Huskies dropped a 3-0 decision to the Wolves in the match.

The Huskies have a trio of players they can rely on for generating offence with Amiel Dela Rosa, Arsam Talebi and Samuel Delgado on the floor. They all averaged over 2.2 points per set during the season, and each had moments where they seemed unstoppable. If they all get going simultaneously, it will be hard for the Wolves to contain them.

Players to Watch

#7 Ashley Lau (women’s volleyball)
The third-year outside hitter tallied a total of 29 points on 23 kills, five service aces and a block, as well as making an impact defensively with an unbelievable 27 digs in the pair of matches. The best match came against La Cite when Lau put up a team-high 16 points from 10 kills, five service aces, and a block. Once again, she played a critical role on the defensive side, registering 13 digs.

#17 Amiel Dela Rosa (men’s volleyball)
The first-year outside hitter had a specular performance in the teams' victory over Centennial last week. He put up a career-high 18 points off of 17 kills and a service ace. He has hit double-digits in three matches this season and has continuously looked better as the season has gone on.