HAWKS PUNCH TICKET TO OCAA GOLD MEDAL GAME
SCARBOROUGH: The Humber Hawks women's basketball team has done what no team has been able to accomplish over the last four years, and that is to defeat the Algonquin Thunder in the OCAA Championships. With the win, a 58-55 thriller held Friday night at Centennial College, the Hawks has advanced to the OCAA Championship game on Saturday.
The Hawks entered the game as OCAA West Division champions, while the Thunder tied for the East Division crown but dropped to second place due to point differential between them and St. Lawrence College. Humber moved on to the finals by way of a quarterfinal win over Niagara, and Algonquin secured a berth in the semifinals by knocking off Fanshawe.
The game started fast and furious and stayed that way for the whole 40 minutes. The Hawks raced to the front of the line early and had a comfortable 17-9 lead, after one. Point guard sensation CJ Nofuente ran the office smoothly and kicked in a three ball, which hit nothing but net.
The second quarter saw the Thunder respond and cut the lead considerably. But, Humber was able to score late, and at the end of the first half the Humber squad led 26-22.
Algonquin continued the assault in the third quarter, outscoring the Hawks by 4 and were preparing for the fourth and final quarter all square in the game, at 33.
The fourth quarter was full of all of the drama a game of this stature should have. Score swings, players of the bench contributing, and physical play were all evident. At one point it looked like the game was going to change in Humber's favour when Thunder point guard Felicia Mazerolle committed her fourth foul with 7 minutes to go. Then, as all gut wrenching games go, the Hawks CJ Nofuente was called for her fourth foul as well.
With a bevy of new players on the court, it was Algonquin that seemed to take control. They took a lead with 4 minutes to go, and looked like they were preparing for a game ending run. That was not to be, as the Hawks scored to tie, and then went ahead for good.
Checking back in were the stalwart point guards for both teams, and it got tougher and more exciting the rest of the way. With Humber up 3 late and Atissa Cronk at the line, it looked like a pair of free throws would seal the deal. She hit both and the lead sat at 5 with just over a minute to go. As champions do, the Thunder dropped a 3 ball to bring the game close once again. Hawk Mary Asare went to the line with just a few ticks on the clock and pushed the lead to 3. Her second shot, a miss, was gathered up by an Algonquin defender, and then a long desperation shot from 35 feet out rang of the rim just as the final horn sounded.
Jubilation erupted from the team and from the Humber fan base, a number, well into the hundreds. The Hawk crowd included the men's team, who earlier completed a come from behind quarterfinal win in neighboring Oshawa.
Leading the Hawks offensively was Llyandra Kerr, as she poured in 13 points, with all of them of the dirty, in the paint variety. Atissa Cronk and CJ Nofuente added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Atissa Cronk led the way for both teams with 11 rebounds. For her offensive and defensive exploits, she was named the Humber Player of the Game.
Humber will now play the winner of the St. Lawrence/Mohawk game on Saturday night, with an opening tip at 7:00 pm.
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