Keyano Huskies crowned CCAA Champions
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Match #12 BRONZE MEDAL — Humber 66 Camosun 58Camosun fell short of a National medal as Humber never let off the gas pedal from their memorable third quarter onward in a 66 to 58 match in favour of the OCAA conference champs, seeing the Hawks depart from the McCormack Gymnasium with a bronze medal shining around their necks. With Noah Helman, Camosun's Player of the Game last night, posted up early against offensive threat Malik Grant in the defensive zone, Lucas Sheets would be tasked with the split assignment of guarding big man Jamani Barrett. And it was Camosun's Sheets who shone early, both with his all-star level play and attitude. After offering a hand to the fallen Barrett at 7:24 in the first, Sheets transitioned to hit a clutch three-pointer and tie the game at 8 points a piece. He would finish the half going 2-3 from long distance and 4-5 in total with 10 points. The Chargers also saw significant contributions from Cameron Brown, providing clutch bench support–should there be a 6th man of the tournament, Brown may just be the frontrunner. For the Hawks, Kameron David was soaring for a bronze, going 3-5 with six points. While Humber led after one-quarter of play, Camosun's shooting has been too lethal thus far in the tournament for Jalen Menzies to remain silent with only 2 points. The Hawks' CCAA All-Canadian superstar must match Sheets's dominance early on. If he can convert, the Hawks may fly home with 16 extra ounces of hard wear around their necks. A three-point make and an additional field goal by Menzies certainly show how a player of Menzies' calibre can answer the bell, but this quarter was all Chargers. The Humber lead was soon vanquished, thanks to Noah Helman. His 6 rebounds and 8 points provided his charging men in blue with plenty of adrenaline. Notably, when challenging Barrett, four inches taller than Helman, the Charger is fearless in drawing charges and standing his ground. At the half, it was Camosun in the lead, 33-30. From a statistical standpoint, Camosun's 3-point lead at halftime does not make much sense. Humber has committed fewer turnovers and produced more points from turnovers, offensive rebounds, steals, bench, and second-chance points. The Hawks were tied in paint points, blocks, field goals, and three-point makes. Sometimes, sports just do not make any sense. However, if the Hawks were to claw back at the Chargers, one may understand how feasible this task could be, given their statistical advantage over the Pacific West wildcard squad. In the third quarter, Menzies started strong again with five quick points. Whatever it was that head coach Omar Miles kindly reminded his squad at the half, his guys exploded into the third, outscoring their opponents 54 to 42 with only ten minutes remaining. The relentless style of play, by forcing Sheets into committing forced turnovers, will continue to be applied until the Chargers prove they can respond; they would need to make a statement and fast. Time diminished simultaneously with Humber's lead, aided by their third quarter, where they outscored Camosun 24-9. With one minute remaining in the game, the Chargers pressed on and found themselves down by just 5. No lead is safe. In the end, Humber held on. Humber's 4imprint Player of the Game, Kameron David, said, "Of course we wanted gold, but we wanted to leave with something." And leave with something they did. The majority of varsity athletes do not even qualify for a National tournament, let alone finish in the top three. David said he is "grateful" for what his group has accomplished together, and this will surely be a prominent memory when basketball is but a thing of the past. Lucas Sheets earned 4imprint Player of the Game honours for the fourth-placed Camosun Chargers. |
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Match #13 - CHAMPIONSHIP GAME Keyano Huskies 68 vs. George Brown Huskies 55Keyano Huskies of Fort McMurray, AB will bring home their first Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) men’s basketball title after a 68-55 victory over George Brown Huskies of Toronto Saturday night. In a battle between the Huskies played before a big crowd in the McCormack Gymnasium at Mount Allison University in Sackville, N.B., Keyano used a combination of inside scoring early and slick passing leading to second half points to claim the championship. Guard D.J. Haynes led Keyano with 18 points, while big man Evan Meyer contributed 16 points and nine rebounds. Omeechi Williams had 12 points and 11 boards, while tournament MVP Keenan Miller contributed 11. Jeremiah Brown and Jevon Fray-Woodbine each had 13 for George Brown. Keyano shot only 2-19 from three-point range but won the battle of the boards by outrebounding George Brown 40-22, leading to a significant 36-14 edge in points in the paint. George Brown came out hot from distance in the first quarter and took a 16-11 lead at the end of the first. With Keyano misfiring from the field, Coach Jeremy Wielenga changed tactics in the second. Keyano found big man Evan Meyer deep in the paint and he found the basket on four consecutive shots, providing a shot of energy for his squad. George Brown scored at the 7:07 mark to take a four point lead, but that was the last basket they made for 6:30 as Keyano went on a 16-0 run. The Keyano run was punctuated by a thunderous alley oop dunk from guard Tafari Carefoote-Jones to DJ Hayes with 1:30 to go in the half. Keyano went into the break up 34-24. Haynes said after the final that his team stayed composed despite a couple of George Brown runs that closed the gap. “They made some runs but you know they say when a pebble is thrown into the water, it creates some ripples but it eventually levels out. That’s what we had to remember and the guys stuck to our game plan,” Haynes explained. Coach Wielenga said his team relied on defence to bring home the school’s first national title. “I can’t comprehend what this will mean (to Keyano),” Wielenga said. “I remember what it meant to the community when we won the ACAC title so it’s going to be really meaningful to everyone.” Besides MVP Miller, Keyano had Haynes as a first-team all star and Meyer as a second team all star. Others on the tournament all star teams were: First Team Christian Tabiri of George Brown Second Team Evan Meyer of Keyano The Exemplary Leadership Award The 2025 CCAA Men’s National Championship will be held at Vanier College in Montreal. |
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