Savage leads No. 8 Men's Basketball past Durham in OCAA quarter-final

By: Nina Kersnik
Humber Athletics Communications

ETOBICOKE – No. 8 Humber men's basketball team (17-3, 2^nd West) defeated the Durham Lords (15-5, 3^rd East) in a nail-biting 84-83 victory in the quarter-final at Humber Athletics Centre. Nathan Savage, who was also named Player of the Game, recorded 18 points and four assists. Adrian Aluyi also performed well against the Lords, recording 17 points and three rebounds.

Their victory over Durham wasn't the only highlight of the night. Humber's men's basketball team also recognized its regular-season award winners in a pre-game ceremony. Adrian Aluyi was named Second Team All-Star and Sixth Man of the Year, while Malik Grant was named the First Team All-Star, OCAA Player of the Year, and All-Canadian, and Amare Anderson earned the All-Team Rookie award.

Game recap

In a rematch of the 2025 CCAA national championship game, the environment at the Hawks Nest was electric. Right from tip-off, the Lords took the first possession, as the Hawks struggled to get anything going on their offensive end. It took Humber almost three whole minutes to grab their first few points until Adrian Aluyi got the rock up and over from inside the paint.

Meanwhile, Durham followed up with their first seconds later, but the Hawks wouldn't let that deter them. From that point on, Humber found their rhythm to go up by three possessions, forcing the Lords' head coach Patrick Kabeya to call the first time out of the game at 4:44.

Fortunately, Durham used that time out well, but it wouldn't be enough to take the lead against the Hawks. As time wound down, the home team worked together to hold onto their lead until the buzzer sounded.

After ten, Humber would enter the second on a six-point lead, 18-12.

Into the next frame, the Hawks struggled significantly in their offensive end, relying on their starters, especially Nathan Savage, to gain more points. By the end of the second quarter, he accumulated eight points, which is three points less than any of the reserves.

Heading into the back half, Humber's offence cooled off completely, forcing head coach Omar Miles to call a timeout with 4:47 left on the clock. Unfortunately, that time out wouldn't do much to allow the Hawks to pull away as Durham came back with a brief lead.

Thankfully Humber found their footing once again in the last few minutes to pressure the Lords until the very end, allowing them to win what was a low-scoring first half, 36-33.

After the break, the Hawks took full control of the court, working together to increase their lead. Adrain Aluyi stood out for Humber in the third, going perfect from inside the paint and the three-point line to record eight points of his own.

On the other end of the hardwood, Durham's offence remained ice cold well into the back half, as they struggled to get points on the scoreboard. They didn't enter double digits until the clock reached 2:54.

As time drained from the clock, the Hawks found a way to keep the lead, with their defence being the difference-maker. Humber would enter the final quarter up by ten, 60-50.

In the last ten minutes, both sides put on a show for the crowd.

The Lords proved they had some more energy left in the tank, going all-out until the final buzzer. Points from inside the paint controlled the fourth, which allowed Durham to show why they are one of the top three teams in the East Division. At the halfway mark, the Lords closed the gap to one point, with Javade Marne recording the most of the quarter with seven points.

Into the back half, the momentum shifted in favour of the Hawks as Savage made a step back three over two of Durham's defenders to tie it at 78. Minutes later, he would come back for more, bringing the crowd to their feet.

In the dying seconds, both teams kept the crowd on the edge of their seats, trading the chance for a lead. Ultimately, Humber would be the team to come away with an 84-83 victory, to end the Lords' season early.

With the win, the Hawks will advance to the semifinal round.

Humber Highlights

• Humber is now 25-7 all-time against Durham.
• The Hawks improve to 33-3 all-time in the quarterfinal round.
• Humber is 2-0 in the post-season.
• Humber has never lost in the quarterfinals at the Hawks Nest, improving to 12-0 after this win over Durham.
• Adrian Aluyi leads the Hawks and ranks third in the conference in blocks with 24.

What's Next?

The Hawks will face the Loyalist Lancers (13-7, 5th East) in the semifinal round in Windsor on March 6. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 pm and will be streamed on OCAA Live.