Match 1: Humber 104, MSVU Mystics 57 

It took the Humber Hawks a full quarter, but they found their rhythm to open the 2024 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) national men’s basketball championship with a convincing 104-57 win Wednesday over the Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics.

The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) champion Hawks held a slim 19-17 lead after the first quarter over the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) champion Mystics as the 2024 championship got under way in the newly-refurbished MacCormack Gymnasium at Mount Allison University in Sackville, N.B.

But a combination of speed, a deep bench and sharp three-point shooting allowed Humber to put distance between their East Coast rivals. Humber outscored MSVU 33-5 in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

Jalen Menzies, 4Imprint player of the game for Humber, shook off a slow start to lead the Hawks with 24 points. Kyle Brown-Fazekes contributed 19 and Malik Grant posted 13 points and 13 rebounds. Humber shot a spectacular 14-24 from deep, a 58 percent clip.

The Mystics started strong with some tough interior defence, but couldn’t keep pace with the Hawks, Jayden Smith, MSVU’s 4Imprint Player of the Game, led his squad with 16 points. Chase Tynes had some early foul trouble but finished strong with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Issac Matheson added 11 points.

MSVU struggled from three-point range, converting only 16.7 percent of their attempts. Humber also had an edge on the boards, out rebounding the Mystics 47-31.

Menzies admitted his early struggles but credited the Hawks’ bench with the victory.

“I don’t think I had my best game today, but our bench is so deep and we work so well together,” Menzies said.

Humber will move on to a semi-final match-up while MSVU will battle in a bronze-medal quarter-final. Both games go Thursday at the McCormack Gym.

Match 2: Keyano Huskies 75, Camosun Chargers 50

The Keyano Huskies rode the hot hand of Keenan Miller to win the second quarter-final of opening day at the 2024 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association national men’s basketball tournament at Mount Allison University in Sackville, N.B.

Keyano, the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) champions, defeated Camosun College Chargers of Victoria, B.C., a wildcard entry from the Pacific Western Collegiate Association, 75-50.

Miller, 4Imprint player of the game for the Huskies, missed his only three-point shot of the first half, but didn’t miss after that, going a sensational 6-for-7 from beyond the arc. He finished with 22 points and was helped by Omeechi Williams with 16, while DJ Haynes added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Jesse Vogel was top scorer for Camosun with 14 points, while Noah Helman added 11 and Lucas Sheets had eight. Vogel was 4Imprint player of the game for the Chargers.

A key difference in this game was three-point efficiency. Keyano shot a hot 58 percent from deep, while Camosun converted only 3-24 attempts for 12.5 percent.

Camosun packed the paint in the early going, holding Keyano to a 35-27 lead at half, and the Chargers held tough as they trailed by only six at the end of the third. Keyano turned it on in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Chargers 25-6.

Miller said he isn’t known as a threat from deep, but the Huskies game plan involved moving the ball to the open shooter as the Chargers clogged the middle.

“I usually only take a couple of threes per game but we knew coming in they would focus on our big man Evan (Meyer) and our main shooter Omeechi (Williams), so I had to be ready.”

Camosun will play in a bronze quarter-final while Keyano moves to a semi-final game, both on Thursday at the MacCormack Gym at Mount Allison.

Match 3: George Brown Huskies 70, VIU Mariners 69

Ultimately, the overwhelming pace and full-court press defence of the Ontario Athletic Collegiate Association's silver medalist George Brown Huskies was too much to handle for the Pacific Western Athletic Association's champion VIU Mariners. In a nail-biting 70 to 69 victory for the Huskies, Derrick Taylor and Christian Tabiri led their team one step closer to the desired gold medal match.

Anhold's expected formidable presence in the key was not immediately felt in the first quarter. Down by four with 2:11 remaining in the quarter, subbing out an All-Canadian in Anhold is a testament to head coach Matt Kuzminski's understanding of how this National tournament progresses; lose, and a chance at gold is but a dream.

This four-point Husky lead, largely thanks to guard Derrick Taylor's fearless drives, may have been more widespread with a higher team free-throw percentage. As the second quarter started, one had to wonder how long the Huskies' defensive efforts could keep them out of free-throw trouble.

Can a single play change the tide of a game? If so, it occurred midway through the second, when Peter Li of the Mariners made a no-look pass in the key to Anhold. This put a significant separation between the two opponents, now a seven-point lead. The Pacific champs pulled away right when Anhold's game came to life.

In the third, the Huskies' four straight missed three-point attempts were a sign of George Brown's desperate mentality in finding a last hope in closing the 13-point gap. When Li countered with a three of his own, the margin widened.

As the game entered its final quarter, one line can summarize the Mariners' efforts to this point: play by committee. Eight players scored, and nine saw floor time; this is how championship teams are formed. Furthermore, never in this last quarter did the Mariners simultaneously deploy even four out of five top scorers. That is, until the Huskies fought back.

Now a 69-68 game in favour of the Mariners with 10 seconds on the shot clock, the Huskies relied on their first-quarter ways: persistent defence and a little bit of adrenaline from the crowd. However, an indecision by Taylor of the Huskies led to a turnover and an intentional foul on the Pacific champs. Only adding to the drama, Ryan Bastian failed to seal the game, leading to two redemption chances for Taylor with just 2.9 seconds on the game clock.

Bang. Bang. Game over, and the largest comeback of the tournament thus far ends thrillingly.

4imprint player of the game Christian Tabiri of the victorious Huskies noted the fight his team showed despite the hectic finish, in addition to how "we switched it up to a 1-2-2 [defence]," which led to "everything falling in our favour." Anhold received the 4imprint player of the game for his Mariners.

The Huskies will play in the semifinals on Thursday, March 14, for a chance at gold. The Mariners will also play in the bronze quarter-finals tomorrow.

Match 4: Mount Allison Mounties 73, Vanier Cheetahs 53

Who would have thought the host team, underdog, cast aside Mount Allison Mounties, would go on a 12-2 run to open their National Tournament, let alone against the number one seeded Vanier Cheetahs, champions of the RSEQ conference in Québec. If nobody in the bleachers of the newly refurbished McCormack Gymnasium, then this belief has at least been deeply instilled in the fifteen 15 players sporting garnet and gold.

Anything is possible. Simply look at Laval's men's program in the USPORTS National Tournament, the host team and underdogs who won the whole thing. Sound familiar?

From start to finish, the home side Mounties never let off the gas, winning 73 to 53. 

Thanks to clutch threes by co-captain Jonas Munroe, rookie Ryan Norris, and second-year guard Keith Rowan, the Mounties established an early 20-4 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Cheetahs needed to find a response; the RSEQ champions were in early trouble. Home-court advantage is a beautiful thing.

Some pushback midway through the second quarter saw the Cheetahs' offence come to life through Liam Ngos, Raphael Dumont, and Ludovic Tournier. However, the Mounties' surge raged on, and they led 38 to 25 at the half.

In the third, the Cheetahs presented flashes of their true selves, and along with some foul trouble for the Mounties, the RSEQ champs clawed back to within ten midway through the quarter. It was Ellison's fadeaway and team-leading 14 rebounds that showcased against the Cheetahs high pressure, full-court (Huskies-like) defence. Regardless, the Mounties led 51-39 with one quarter to go.

Then came "the dagger," the word uttered by countless Mountie supporters after Norris drained a three to extend the home lead to 20 points.

Was it the new gymnasium? The vibrant fans? The 37.9% three-point shooting percentage (to the Cheetahs 4.5%)? It could be a combination of the above, with a sprinkle of belief and willpower. Small town Sackville is witnessing something unseen in years. Perhaps these Mounties have what it takes to brew a miracle. 

Tim Ellison, the co-captain and 4imprint player of the game, insisted that the victorious Mounties "have 24 hours to get ready for the next one." Of equal importance is that no lead is safe in the CCAA National Championships: "In the [ACAA] playoffs, we were up double digits against [St. Thomas] as well, in the semi-finals, so we didn't want to let the lead slip like we did there."

Yanis Malanda earned 4imprint Player of the Game for the Vanier Cheetahs. The Mounties advance to the semi-finals tomorrow at 8:00 PM against the George Brown Huskies in the McCormack Gymnasium.

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