The George Brown Huskies are one of four teams off to the semi-finals at the George Brown College 42nd Annual Men's Basketball Tournament at Casa Loma Campus after Friday's opening day of competition.
Schedule for the consolidation rounds, semi-finals and final on Saturday January 4th are the following.
Semi-final rounds:
1. George Brown vs Durham at 1pm
2. St. Clair vs Lambton at 3pm
Championship final is scheduled for 7:30pm.
Consolation semi-final rounds:
1. Mohawk vs St. Lawrence at 9am
2. Georgian vs La Cite at 11am
Winners play the Consolation final at 5:30pm.
George Brown 73, St. Lawrence College 70
The Huskies men's basketball team came into the tournament as the defending champions, andwere able to come from behind to take down the St. Lawrence College Vikings in the first round to keep their hopes alive for a repeat
Notable Stats: First-year forward Derrick Taylor led the way with a team-high 17 points and four steals, while fourth-year guard Chris Fields wasn't too far behind with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Fifth-year forward Kingslee D'Silva filled the stat sheet with 17 points, seven rebounds, two steals and a block.
The Vikings top scorer was Tyrell Taylor off the bench with a game-high 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
How it Happened: The Huskies started off a bit slower than usual and found themselves down 21-13 after the opening 10 minutes. Led by Fields's team-high seven points in the opening half, George Brown remained at an eight-point deficit, down 39-31 heading into halftime.
The third quarter was a completely different story. The Huskies defence locked in, holding the Vikings to 25% shooting compared to 53.8% in the first half. The impressive play leaked into the offensive end where George Brown shot over 61% and outscored the Vikings 21-14 which lead to trailing only 54-52 after three quarters.
One of the top offences in the province continued in the charge forward in the fourth, where the team went 7-of-11 from the field and held off the Vikings to take the narrow victory.
Durham 95, Mohawk 93 (OT)
Notable Stats: The Lords were led by a pair of first-year forwards. Gabriel Andre recorded 21 points, four rebounds and two steals, while Daavyd Marquez-Relih also posted 21 points and four rebounds. Four other Lords hit double-digits in the victory.
The Mountaineers top scorer was first-year forward Steven Lemay, who dropped 27 points, while teammate Daniel Calura added 25 points and four rebounds.
How It Happened: Right from tip-off it was a high pace affair with both teams flexing their offensive muscles. Thanks to a late run, the Mountaineers had the slight 23-22 edge after the opening quarter. The back-and-forth continued, but this time the Lords led 44-39 after the first half.
Both teams shot over 66% from the field in the third and Mohawk had the slight 71-68 advantage heading into the final quarter. The close game did not change in the fourth. In fact, it was a one possession game for the final four and a half minutes. After regulation the two sides were tied up at 85 a piece, which meant overtime was needed.
Thanks to Lords' forward Andre, who recorded four points in the extra frame, Durham advanced to the semi-finals with a 95-93 overtime victory.
St. Clair 103, Georgian 78
Notable Stats: David Gomez recorded a game-high 24 points and three steals, while Jesiah Deerr registered 20 points and added five rebounds in the victory.
Grizzlies sniper Tyler Vanessen went 7-of-10 from deep for a team-high 23 points in the contest.
How it Happened: The close matchups seemed to be a common theme in the first round of the tournament. Both sides dropped 50% of their shots in the opening frame and the score reflected it with the Grizzlies leading 22-21. The game was very even in the second, but the Saints put together a 9-0 run late to head into half up 52-44.
St. Clair's offensive showcase remained the theme in the second half. The Saints shot over 55% including 9-of-11 from three-point range to run away with the win.
Lambton 94, La Cite 88
Notable stats: Fifth-year forward Jason Watts dropped a team-high 28 points, seven rebounds and two blocks, while first-year guard Kam David added 23 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Coyotes guard Harouna Diop tallied a game-high 29 points in a losing effort.
How It Happened: The first round ended with the Coyotes and Lions battling out for the final spot in the semi-finals on Saturday. With the Lions up 23-22 after the opening 10 minutes, the defence took over holding La Cite to 31.3% shooting in the frame. Thanks to the defensive effort, Lambton went into the intermission up 48-43.
The Coyotes got the upper hand out of halftime. They outscroed the Lions 21-18 to make it a one possession contest at 66-64 with only one quarter left. Midway through the fourth with the score evened at 73-73, the Lions generated a 15-5 run to take the lead and did not look back.
