| EAST | CENTRAL | ||||||
| Carleton | 18-4 | 28-5 | Taffe Charles | Brock | 16-6 | 19-11 | Willy Manigat |
| Ottawa | 17-5 | 30-7 | James Derouin | Lakehead | 16-6 | 23-9 | Ryan Thomson |
| Queen’s | 17-5 | 26-8 | Stephan Barre | Toronto Metropolitan | 14-8 | 19-11 | David DeAveiro |
| Nipissing | 5-17 | 5-21 | Thomas Cory | Toronto | 13-9 | 16-12 | Madhav Trevedi |
| Ontario Tech | 4-18 | 4-22 | Delushan Pathmanathan | McMaster | 12-10 | 16-14 | Patrick Tatham |
| Laurentian | 3-19 | 5-24 | Georges Serresse | York | 6-16 | 6-18 | Jermain Holness |
| WEST | |||||||
| Windsor | 16-6 | 18-9 | Chris Cheng | ||||
| Wilfrid Laurier | 14-8 | 20-12 | Justin Serresse | ||||
| Guelph | 11-11 | 13-13 | Chris O’Rourke | ||||
| Western | 10-12 | 13-16 | Brad Campbell | ||||
| Waterloo | 3-19 | 6-25 | Troy Stevenson | ||||
| Algoma | 3-19 | 4-26 | Ryan Vetrie |
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Algoma Thunderbirds: Peter De La Paz, Devin Miron, Steven Kabongo, Jibril Jama, Roman Niro, Jaylen White, Olajuwon Oyegoke, Joel Thabize, Patrick-Olivier Mpoyi, Johan Germain, Adrian Deere, Nathaniel Bangura, Taleh Wade, Riley Rathwell, Mohamed Mohamed, Joel Ongagna, Omer Jama, Shawn Cher-Enfant, coach Etienne Jacquet, assistant Sam Ivey, assistant Winston Ivey
Laurentian Voyageurs: Kamil Dia Hantchi, Noah Garba, Cedric Mbiaba, Ethan Cudney, Jordan Katchunga, Shamar Forbes, Caillou Lacroix, Rudy Beya, Coban Scott, Gaetan Chamand, Salim Coulialy, Majid Hassan, Olgaga Diba, Pierre-Ralph Mani, William Forhan, Matthew Sutton, interim coach Georges Serresse, coach Shawn Swords (on leave)
Nipissing Lakers: David Bokanga, Nathan Courie, Tanner Devlin, Justin Foster, Thomas Gowland, Taijon Graham, Jack Hagerty, Owen Hagerty, Hazara Jawanda, D’Andre Johnson, Noan LaPierre, Danny Lukusa, Darnaz Mabanza, Kevin Mervart, Muktar Mohamed, Ricardo Neves, Nolan Nukkala, Mekhi Perry, Daniel Rocha Zandbergen, coach Thomas Cory, assistant Dustin Anthony, assistant Charlie Hancock, assistant Brett Zufelt, assistant John Gore, assistant J.D. West, manager Brian Risk
Ontario Tech Ridgebacks: Alex Szewczyk, Ba-Amara Djame, Andrade Junior Cummings, Stefan Prica, Jahson Tomlinson, Caleb Kassa, D’on Duncan, Levi Ogbonna, Chris Ogie, Tombe Pitia, Jesse Okeke, interim coach Deluxshan Pathmanathan, coach Greg Francis (on leave), assistant Sharmarke Mohamed, assistant Samayet Hasan, assistant Rahsean Neil-Simpson, assistant C.J. Crocco, assistant Ian Kadlec, manager D.K. Ketheesparan
Waterloo Warriors: Raf Llorin, Kuel Thomas, Reuben Haebenevi, Jesse Garchinsky, Sam Pierson, Kevin Ofime, Kanayo Nnadi, Isaac Watsa, Ashton Klysh, Ethan Andrew, Adrian Husic, Andrew Cook, Noah Krauskopf, Cristian Cracium, Stefan Djukic, Kiran Chadwick-Rupp, redshirt Josh Akuamoah, redshirt Kevin Ossa, coach Troy Stevenson, assistant Kevin Barnes, assistant Chris Richards, assistant Michelle Hudyn, assistant Cal Keil, apprentice Tyler Vincent, manager Derek Bedal, manager Kevin Lee, manager Aidan Atcheson, assistant skills development & strength Brandon Hewitson, skills development Jackson Kelly
York Lions: Yaw Antwi-Boasiako, Tyler Van Dyke, Prince Kamunga, Tyler Pryce, Travon Hamilton, Johnny Brown, Elia Panagiotopoulos, Aymen Khaled, Nathan Omoghan, Alexis Kayonga, Quintin Herbert, Jakobi Walters, Somto Dimanochie, Julien Lemon, coach Jermain Holness, assistant & defensive coordinator & scouting Omar Bryan, assistant & offensive coordination & operations Osama Khaled, assistant Rob Dex, student assistant Ryan Ejim, community coordinator Patrick Knights, student manager Eleseo Hernandez
In the opening round, the 8th-seeded host Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks edged the 9th-seeded Toronto Varsity Blues 77-74. The Blues led 21-18 after one quarter and 41-37 at the half. Jahmyah Brown Jeffers scored 8 points in the second half and Laurier took its first lead on a Benhur Gebrekidan trey, followed by a pair of and-ones form Ethan Passley. “Those contact layups are something I was trying to focus on all season,” said Passley. “It was in the heat of the moment. I’d already made one, so I was like, ‘why not make another one?’“ Passley also said the Golden Hawks boardwork was key. “Rebounding gave us a huge advantage. We were being aggressive. We were pushing the pace.” The Golden Hawks led 62-57 after three quarters. Toronto rallied within two down the stretch but Majok Deng hit a free throw before Blues gunner Callum Baker missed a trey at the buzzer that would have forced overtime. Golden Hawks coach Just Serresse said “It starts and ends with Taye [Donald] and Ethan and Jahmyah being able to penetrate that zone with their speed, and then from there making plays for everybody, and everybody looking to cut and relocate.” Ethan Passley paced the Golden Hawks with 18 on 7-10 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Jahmyah Brown Jeffers added 17 on 7-18 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 8 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Taye Donald notched 14 on 5-15 from the floor, 3-11 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Vladimir Lukomski scored 7 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 7 boards. Majok Deng added 7 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-4 from the line and 6 boards. Justin Malnerich notched 7 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc and 3 assists. Ben Stevens added 4 on 2-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the line and 6 boards. Benhur Gebrekidan scored 3 on 1-7 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc and 2 boards, while Isaiah Fisher was scoreless. The Golden Hawks hit 31-70 (.443) from the floor, 8-27 (.296) from the arc and 7-13 (.538) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 13 assists, 17 turnovers, 1 block and 10 steals. Inaki Alvarez paced the Varsity Blues with 24 on 10-22 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 4 boards, 4 assists and 5 steals. Callum Baker added 18 on 6-17 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 5 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Lennart Weber notched 13 on 4-14 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Aleer Aleer-Leek scored 8 on 4-9 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Anthony Daudu added 7 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 7 boards. Somachi Agbapu scored 6 on 2-3 from the floor and 6 boards, while Tomi Johnson and Ryan Rudnick were scoreless. The Varsity Blues hit 28-73 (.384) from the floor, 7-29 (.241) from the arc and 11-14 (.786) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 10 assists, 13 turnovers, 2 blocks and 13 steals. The Varsity Blues (coach Madhav Trivedi, assistant Amde Evans, assistant Tianhao Wu, assistant Sukhpreet Singh, video & analytics Will Baldwin, manager Adrian Lightowler, fitness & performance Vanessa Treasure, therapist Jason Meehan, student manager Nathan Duke) also included Charles Amo-Yartey, Kaiden Talib, David Ramirez, Noah Ngamba, Lukas Humle, Jeremy Aibi, Lucas Brunnenkant.
The host 7th-seeded Toronto Metropolitan Bold clipped the 10th-seeded McMaster Marauders 104-92. The Marauders led 25-18 after one quarter and 54-51 at the half. The Bold led 83-70 after three quarters. The Bold were trailing by 13 in the first half when David Walker shifted the momentum with a slam over a Marauder defender. “Yeah, he jumped too late. His fault,” said Walker. Bold guard Aaron Rhooms said “I didn’t know it was coming. When he loads up and takes off, I don’t know what’s going to happen, but we needed it and we fed off that for the rest of the game. … It was huge energy boost.” Bold coach David DeAveiro said “for us to survive the first half — because we didn’t have a lot of energy to start. I’m sure Dave dunk got us going a little bit. But surviving that first half and only being down three was really important for us.” Rhooms said in the second half, “we locked up on defence. We were a little sloppy on rotations and what not in the first half, but we were able to get it done collectively and that was the result.” David Walker paced the Bold with 29 on 8-11 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 11-11 from the line and 4 assists. Lincoln Rosebush added 19 on 8-10 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards and 3 assists. Aaron Rhooms notched 18 on 6-16 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 6-6 from the line, 11 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals. Lamar Everd scored 17 on 6-9 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 3 boards, 4 assists and 4 steals. Ankit Choudhary added 8 on 3-7 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc and 4 assists. Liam O’Leary-Orange scored 7 on 2-4 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 8 boards. Isaiah McRae added 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 3 boards and 2 assists. Akeem Clarke scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor. Jaren Jones notched 2 on 2-2 from the line, while Simon Chamberlain and Nick Hamilton were scoreless. Chamberlain nabbed 2 boards. The Bold hit 35-61 (.574) from the floor, 6-15 (.400) from the arc and 28-29 (.966) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 22 fouls, 21 assists, 20 turnovers, 1 block and 10 steals. Mike Demagus paced the Marauders with 22 on 9-16 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 2 boards and 3 assists. Cashius McNeilly added 13 on 4-10 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Khalil Miller notched 11 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 4-5 from the line, 7 boards, 2 assists and 4 blocks. Nathan Charles scored 11 on 4-6 from the floor, 3-3 from the line, 4 boards and 3 steals. Sefa Otchere added 8 on 3-4 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Luke De Gannes notched 8 on 3-4 from the floor and 2-2 from the arc. Tristan Lindo added 7 on 3-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 2 boards. Mychael Paulo scored 5 on 1-11 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 2 boards, 4 assists and 4 steals. Ares Culley-Bremner added 4 on 1-2 from the floor and 2-2 from the line. Johnny Kitenge scored 3 on 3-4 from the line and 5 assists, while Brendan Amoyaw was scoreless. The Marauders hit 31-71 (.437) from the floor, 10-26 (.385) from the arc and 20-23 (.870) from the line, while garnering 30 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 23 fouls, 21 assists, 19 turnovers, 9 blocks and 12 steals. The Marauders (coach Patrick Tatham, assistant Sheldon Cassimy, strength & conditioning Ben Bahrami) also included Tyler Garcia, Nathan Charles, AY Osunde, Brandon Bernard, Thomas Matsell, Kazim Raza, Josh Loblaw and Stevan Japundzi.
The 11th-seeded Guelph Gryphons stunned the host 6th-seeded Lakehead Thunderwolves 67-64 after leading 23-17, 45-41 and 60-58 at the quarters. The victory was the Gryphons postseason win in a decade. The Gryphons led by as many as 14 in the third quarter after Dezayne Mingo hit a pull-up jumper and Dylan McFee a corner trey. Guelph took a 67-63 lead on a step-back jumper by Mingo. The Thunderwolves missed an opportunity to force overtime when guard Laouai Msambya’s contested trey sailed wide. Dezayne Mingo paced the Gryphons with 21 on 10-19 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 11 boards and 5 assists. Keenan Dowell added 1 1on 4-11 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Emmanuel Ansah notched 11 on 5-11 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 11 boards and 7 assists. Dylan McFee scored 6 on 2-3 from the arc. Viktoras Nausedas added 6 on 3-7 from the floor and 7 boards. Jalen Mason scored 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Rasheed Weekes added 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. Khalid Ismail scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc, while Felix Janusauskas, Jacob Edwards, Andrew Ackerman and Eric Armstrong were scoreless. The Gryphons hit 29-63 (.460) from the floor, 5-17 (.294) from the arc and 4-10 from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 19 assists, 10 turnovers, 4 blocks and 3 steals. Laoui Msambya paced the Thunderwolves with 19 on 7-11 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 9 boards, 6 assists and 2 steals. Michael Okafor added 12 on 5-23 from the floor, 0-9 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 6 boards and 3 assists. Nathan Bilamu notched 12 on 4-13 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 5 boards. Alston Harris scored 9 on 3-7 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 3 boards and 4 assists. Dylan Morrison added 6 on 3-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the line and 5 boards. Jared Kreiner scored 6 on 2-5 from the arc, while Chris Sagl, Seth Johnson, Javier Fernandez, Eric Gonzales, Ethan Willmore and Harold Santa Cruz were scoreless. Sagl dished 3 assists. Gonzalez nabbed 3 boards. The Thunderwolves hit 24-70 (.343) from the floor, 6-33 (.182) from the arc and 10-15 from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 11 fouls, 19 assists, 8 turnovers, 3 blocks and 4 steals. The Thunderwolves (coach Ryan Thomson, assistant Katie Ulakovic, assistant Evan Woodland, assistant Cory Keeler, assistant Matt Edwards, assistant Matt Erdman) also include Chume Nwigwe, Flynn Gilmour, Jevon Westcarth, Tyler Sagl, Javier Fernandez, Faramade Ajayi and Douglas Owusu Ansah.
In the final opening round match, the 5th-seeded host Queen’s Gaels dispatched the 12th-seeded Western Mustangs 98-85 after leading 25-23, 54-44 and 74-70 at the quarters. The Gaels dominated the final frame as they slowly rebuilt a double-digit lead. Gaels coach Stephan Barrie said “there’s incredible belief in this group. Our guys that have been through this have great belief. I don’t think there will ever be a situation where we don’t think we’re going to win, and that was the case tonight and we were able to pull it out in the end.” Michael Kelvin III said “our team philosophy is grit. It was a physical game but we like that stuff. We like to rebound, we like to box out hard. That’s our type of basketball.” Cole Syllas paced the Gaels with 23 on 8-14 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 13 boards and 7 assists. Brandon Aultman added 17 on 6-10 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 8 boards and 2 assists. Michael Kelvin III notched 17 on 7-12 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc and 6 boards. Luka Syllas scored 14 on 5-12 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Connor Kelly added 9 on 3-6 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc and 3 boards. Cameron Bett scored 6 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 4 assists. Isaac Krueger notched 5 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 2 boards. Connor Keefe added 4 on 2-3 from the floor, 5 assists and 2 steals. David Ayon scored 3 on 1-1 from the arc, while Scott Jenkins, Gianni Itegeli and Ryan Heim were scoreless. The Gaels hit 35-68 (.515) from the floor, 12-28 (.429) from the arc and 16-21 (.762) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 22 fouls, 23 assists, 11 turnovers, 1 block and 7 steals. Aryan Sharma paced the Mustangs with 26 on 9-20 from the floor, 6-9 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 11 boards. Jerric Palma added 13 on 4-11 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 2 boards and 5 assists. George Horn notched 13 on 5-5 from the floor, 3-5 from the line and 2 boards. Tyson Dunn scored 12 on 6-11 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 4 assists and 3 steals. Matteo Zagar added 10 on 4-6 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Noah Otshudi scored 9 on 4-9 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 4 assists. Johnny Vrdoljak added 2 on 2-4 from the line and 2 boards, while Cole Cruz-Dumont, Tye Cotie, Imran Armstrong, Ukasha Khan and Jaxon Cohee were scoreless. The Mustangs hit 32-64 from the floor, 9-25 (.360) from the arc and 12-21 (.571) from the line, while garnering 26 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 17 assists, 12 turnovers, 2 blocks and 7 steals. The Mustangs (coach Brad Campbell, assistant & recruiting coordinator Joel Delcarmen, assistant Mo Haidar, strength & conditioning Jeff Watson, assistant strength & conditioning Kristine Walker, scouting coordinator Jacob Lindley, analytics Alex Salsali, administrative assistant Heidi Bastien-Kadkhodaei, graphic designer Larissa Smith, video services Matteo Tanzi, manager Shawn Ma, physio fellow Rosy El-Khouri, student trainer Jorge-Alberto Mekia-Lopez, student trainer Ryu Lien) also included Isaiah Pemberton, Milan John, Jonathan Avgousti, Jacob Bassam, Richard Jaxon Cohee, redshirt Owen Knapp Dick and redshirt Nolan Omerod.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Carleton Ravens dispatched the 8th-seeded Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks 97-84 after leading 32-17, 46-38 and 68-55 at the quarters. Grant Shepherd and Connor Vreeken dominated early as Carleton built a double-digit lead. Justin Malnerich rallied the Golden Hawks to within 46-38 at the half. Carleton maintained its edge through the second half and coasted to the win. Shepherd said “the key for us was controlling the pace, Laurier’s a pretty sporadic team so just keeping control of the pace, playing at our speed. We want to play our own way so just making sure we keep control of that. … I think we’ve come a long way. We’re a pretty young team and people may have seen weaknesses in the preseason, maybe midseason so I think we’re coming along nicely, we’re peaking at the right time. … We’re doing a really good job of coming together, focusing (and) the playoffs look really good for us. … All these games are do or die. For some people it could make you panic, (or) nervous but you can’t think like that. It’ll only be bad if you’re nervous. The panic just has to turn into a focus.” Ravens coach Taffe Charles said “it’s playoff basketball. It’s not about how much you win; it’s about just winning. It’s about getting the result at this time of year. It’s not going to be pretty…at the end of the day I’m glad we had the result and won. … We need a little bit more depth. We’re trying to find the right guys to be able to play meaningful minutes but our main guys (are) doing a pretty decent job. The turnovers are the turnovers, hopefully we’re going to keep them down to a minimum. … [Grant Shephard] is at another level when he’s trying. He was really focused tonight, and it showed. Didn’t want to settle for stuff. It was nice to have him there and I think we needed him tonight.” Golden Hawks coach Justin Serressee said Malnerich provided a real spark. “Every time he was running by me and he was close to the three-point line, I’m like “Buddy, you let it fly”. … We needed some crazy, and we sure got some. That really helped us get a nice momentum. … I take pride in not putting your head down. Especially at Carleton… if you just focus on the next play, the next quarter, just be disciplined, I think from top down, coaches to players, you’re going to put together a run you didn’t even know you had [in you].” Grant Shephard paced the Ravens with 32 on 12-14 from the floor, 8-10 from the line, 9 boards and 2 assists. Connor Vreeken added 20 on 5-11 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 9-9 from the line, 9 boards, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 4 steals. Aiden Warnholtz notched 17 on 4-10 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 8-9 from the line, 10 boards, 7 assists and 2 steals. Elliot Bailey scored 13 on 5-12 from the floor, 1-8 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 14 boards and 4 assists. Marjok Okado added 13 on 5-10 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc and 2 assists. Evan Meyer scored 2 on 1-4 from the floor and 6 boards, while Wazir Latiff, Ben Riley, Jacob Knight, Gabrael Samaha, Emanuel Milon and Reginald Jean Seraph were scoreless. Latiff dished 2 assists, while Samaha nabbed 4 boards. The Ravens hit 32-69 (.464) from the floor, 6-20 (.300) from the arc and 27-20 (.900) from the line, while garnering 52 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 20 assists, 19 turnovers, 3 blocks and 7 steals. Jahmyah Brown Jeffers paced the Golden Hawks with 28 on 12-24 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 3 boards and 5 assists. Justin Malnerich added 20 on 7-12 from the floor, 5-7 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 2 boards and 2 steals. Taye Donald notched 16 on 5-10 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc and 3-4 from the line. Ethan Passley scored 10 on 4-14 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals. Ben Stevens added 8 on 4-9 from the floor, 0-2 from the line, 9 boards, 3 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals. Benhur Gebrekidan scored 2 on 0-7 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards, while Vladimir Lukomski, Majok Deng, Nana Boateng, Kim-Joshua Massela, Jalen Levene and Isaiah Fisher were scoreless. Deng nabbed 2 boards and blocked 2 shots. Boateng nabbed 2 boards. The Golden Hawks hit 32-78 (.410) from the floor, 10-24 (.417) from the arc and 10-17 (.588) from the line, while garnering 26 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 27 fouls, 15 assists, 9 turnovers, 6 blocks and 11 steals. The Golden Hawks (coach Justin Serresse, assistant Matthew Buckley, assistant Chuder Teny, assistant & video coordinator Alex Moura, assistant and recruiting coordinator Brandon Emmanuel, assistant & player development Nikola Saric, assistant & analytics Ankit Wadera, manager Sami Beggar, manager Eli Japp, therapist Natalie Paladino, student trainer Sadia Kurani) also included Ryan Benn, Dylan Brooks, Gurtegh Dhaliwal, Aman Ghebre, Jalen Levene, Jerome Romans Muirhead, Ismael Sow, Jacob Tournier and Mazen Zankar.
The 2nd-seeded Ottawa Gee-Gees nipped the 7th-seeded Toronto Metropolitan Bold 73-72 as Cole Newton pilfered the ball for a runout by Kevin Otoo and the Gee-Gees staved off a Simon Chamberlain floater at the buzzer. The Bold led 25-17 after one quarter. The Bold extended their lead to 12 before Newton and Otoo nailed treys to knot the score at 34 at the half. The Gee-Gees led 54-52 after three quarters. “This is a special group,” said Gee-Gees coach James Derouin. “Games like this come down to one play. We got a big stop there at the end. Both teams deserved to win the game and we got a break there at the end.” Cole Newton paced the Gee-Gees with 22 on 8-15 from the floor, 5-10 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Guillaume Pepin added 12 on 3-11 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 4 boards and 4 assists. Jacques-Melaine Guemeta notched 11 on 4-9 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc and 5 boards. Josh Inkumsah scored 10 on 4-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 5 boards and 3 steals. Kevin Otoo added 7 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Brock Newton scored 6 on 3-6 from the floor and 2 boards. Dragan Stajic added 5 on 1-7 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards, 9 assists and 4 steals, while Sam Playter and Liban Abdalla were scoreless. The Gee-Gees hit 26-64 (.406) from the floor, 12-36 (.333) from the arc and 9-12 from the line, while garnering 31 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 12 fouls, 19 assists, 19 turnovers, 5 blocks and 11 steals. David Walker paced the Bold with 35 on 13-24 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Aaron Rhooms added 19 on 8-14 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 7 boards and 5 steals. Simon Chamberlain notched 6 on 3-4 from the floor. Ankit Choudhary scored 4 on 2-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 2 assists. Akeem Clarke added 3 on 1-1 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 10 boards. Lamar Everd scored 2 on 1-7 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 5 boards. Liam O’Leary-Orange added 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 5 boards. Isaiah McRae scored 1 on 1-2 from the line, 3 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals, while Jaren Jones and Nick Hamilton were scoreless. Jones nabbed 2 boards and dished 3 assists. The Bold hit 29-59 (.492) from the floor, 4-13 (.308) from the arc and 10-14 (.714) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 22 fouls, 12 assists, 19 turnovers, 1 block and 14 steals. The Bold (coach David DeAveiro, assistant Jeremie Kayeye, assistant Mario Celebre, assistant Aprille Deus, assistant Mike Selliah, student therapist Windsor Ongchan, student therapist Leo Iizuka, student therapist Helen Kim) also included Ozezua Ibhawoh, Terry-Nathan Vergin, Adrian Stevens, Lincoln Rosebush, Elijah Roye, Khenyan Brown, Lenda Diarra, Spencer Pain, Cameron Ramage, Julian Walker and Aidan Wilson.
The 3rd-seeded Windsor Lancers torched the 11th-seeded Guelph Gryphons 93-74. The Gryphons led 21-20 after one quarter. The Lancers led 44-38 at the half after a late 9-3 run, and 66-53 after three quarters after Daniel Cummings and Najee Brown-Henderson drilled treys and Thomas Kennedy notched a slam. Guelph never again threatened as Kennedy stifled threats with a block and pair of steals. Thomas Kennedy paced the Lancers with 20 on 9-15 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-7 from the line, 10 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Xavier Ochu added 17 on 6-14 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 5-7 from the line, 4 boards and 3 steals. Daniel Cummings notched 14 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 7-8 from the line and 4 boards. Najee Brown-Henderson scored 14 5-13 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Lorenzo Barbieri added 12 on 5-10 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 4 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Quinn Carey scored 6 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 6 boards. Ziphion Grant notched 4 on 1-6 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Anthony Mensah scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor. Brayden Amlin added 2 on 1-1 from the floor. Yohann Sam scored 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2 boards, while Segun Akimbulumo was scoreless. The Lancers hit 33-73 (.452) from the floor, 5-22 (.227) from the arc and 22-32 (.688) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 25 fouls, 12 assists, 10 turnovers, 2 blocks and 12 steals. Emmanuel Ansah paced the Gryphons with 18 on 7-12 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 13 boards. Rasheed Weekes added 18 on 4-8 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 8-13 from the line and 7 boards. Khalid Ismail notched 12 on 4-11 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 3 boards and 4 assists. Viktoras Nausedas scored 12 on 4-9 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 7 boards. Dezayne Mingo added 6 on 2-14 from the floor, 0-6 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 5 boards and 3 assists. Keenan Dowell scored 3 on 1-9 from the floor, 0-6 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Dylan McFee added 3 on 1-4 from the floor and 1-3 from the arc. Jalen Mason scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, while Carl Veltmann was scoreless. The Gryphons hit 24-69 (.348) from the floor, 6-20 (.200) from the arc and 20-30 from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 24 fouls, 10 assists, 17 turnovers, 2 blocks and 6 steals. The Gryphons (coach Chris O’Rourke, assistant Taylor Boers, assistant Daniel Dooley, strength & conditioning Mac James, student therapist Julia DiFederico, student therapist Nicole Burns, student therapist Lauren Cutler) also included Felix Janusauskas, Jacob Edwards, Jalen Mason, Mathew Oliver, Hadi El-Miari, Eric Armstrong, Finn Burley, Andrew Ackerman, Lucas Cino, Tailon Crawford, Ismail Hassan, Simon Kayembe, Cameron Powell and Jack Torry.
In the last quarterfinal, the 5th-seeded Queen’s Gaels edged the 4th-seeded Brock Badgers 82-80 after leading 18-17, 42-36 and 64-55 at the quarters. Cameron Bett paced the Gaels with 24 on 6-13 from the floor, 6-12 from the arc, 6-6 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Cole Syllas added 18 on 8-20 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 11 boards and 3 assists. Connor Kelly notched 12 on 4-8 from the arc. Michael Kelvin scored 11 on 4-12 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 1-3 from the line, 10 boards and 3 assists. Luka Syllas added 7 on 2-9 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 5 boards and 5 assists. Connor Keefe added 7 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 7 boards. Brandon Aultman scored 3 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 3 boards, while David Ayon was scoreless. The Gaels hit 28-74 (.378) from the floor, 15-38 (.395) from the arc and 11-16 (.688) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 15 assists, 13 turnovers, 3 blocks and 3 steals. Jordan Tchuente paced the Badgers with 21 on 7-15 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 11 boards, 4 assists and 4 blocks. Isaiah Bujdoso added 19 on 8-19 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 5 boards, 9 assists and 2 steals. Godsman Kwakwah notched 11 on 4-15 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 1-3 from the line and 3 boards. Kascius Small-Martin scored 10 on 5-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2 assists. Daniel Caldwell added 8 on 3-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Michael Matas notched 7 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 2 boards. Jesse Barnes added 2 on 0-1 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Georges Mfwamba Ngandu scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 2 boards, while Jevon Brown and Xavier Fearon were scoreless. Brown nabbed 3 boards. The Badgers hit 31-73 (.425) from the floor, 6-21 (.286) from the arc and 12-16 (.750) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 18 assists, 8 turnovers, 4 blocks and 7 steals. The Badgers (coach Willy Manigat, assistant Brandon Edwards, assistant Rami Arabi, assistant William Gatchalian, assistant Mark Crncich, therapist Kelsey Marshall, sport performance Taylor Tiessen) also included Kevaughn Ellis, Erik Wouters, Aaron Golbourne, Micheal Okeke, Jevonnie Scott and Brandon Charles.
In the semis, the top-seeded host Carleton Ravens dispatched the 5th-seeded Queen’s Gaels 93-86 after leading 25-24, 49-46 and 62-61 at the quarters. The Gaels took a three-point lead with two minutes to play but Grant Shephard notched a bucket and M.J. Okado and Aiden Warnholtz nailed a series of free throws as the Ravens pulled out the win, capped by a Shephard slam. Warnholtz said on his clutch free throws down the stretch: “Don’t overthink it too much. It’s a foul shot, I’ve been there lots of times before on the free throw line so just got to know you can make it, step up, take your time and hit it. … We knew we could find the right matchups and get some baskets on offence. They’re a talented team, and they’ve got some good players offensively so it was just about making sure we’re stopping their main guys. The whole game was high scoring so just making sure we could get some stops on defence and keep it simple on offence.” Ravens coach Taffe Charles said “we went through a lot of adversity, a lot of things and a lot of naysayers, a lot about how we’re not going to get back there. These guys knew that whatever team we had out there and whatever guys we had out there, they gave us everything they had.” Charles added that Queen’s is “a good team. They’re tough, they rebound, they make a lot of shots, they’re just a tough team. We know each other very well through the year. We were at the same time, same situation last year.” Aiden Warnholtz paced the Ravens with 23 on 6-12 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 9-9 from the line, 5 boards and 11 assists. Grant Shephard added 2 2 on 10-13 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 10 boards, 3 assists and 3 blocks. Marjok Okado notched 17 on 6-11 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 4 boards and 3 steals. Connor Vreeken scored 12 on 4-17 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 7 boards and 2 assists. Reginald Jean Seraph added 8 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 4 boards. Jacob Knight scored 6 on 2-3 from the arc. Elliot Bailey added 5 on 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists, while Wazir Latiff, Ben Riley, Gabrael Samaha, Evan Meyer and Emanuel Milon were scoreless. Latiff nabbed 2 boards. The Ravens hit 32-71 (.451) from the floor, 10-28 (.357) from the arc and 19-23 (.826) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 19 assists, 13 turnovers, 6 blocks and 4 steals. Cameron Bett paced the Gaels with 28 on 9-18 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc, 6-7 from the line and 3 boards. Cole Syllas added 25 on 9-13 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 6 boards, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 3 steals. Luka Syllas notched 17 on 8-20 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 10 boards and 4 assists. David Ayon scored 7 on 3-9 from the floor and 1-2 from the arc. Connor Kelly added 3 on 1-2 from the arc. Connor Keefe added 3 on 1-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 6 boards. Brandon Aultman scored 3 on 1-3 from the floor and 1-2 from the arc, while Michael Kelvin, Kai Dalen, Scott Jenkins, Gianni Itegeli and Ryan Heim were scoreless. Kelvin nabbed 5 boards and blocked 3 shots. The Gaels hit 32-76 (.421) from the floor, 12-26 (.462) from the arc and 10-13 (.769) from the line, while garnering 31 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 9 assists, 11 turnovers, 6 blocks and 7 steals.
In the other semi, the 2nd-seeded host Ottawa Gee-Gees edged the 3rd-seeded Windsor Lancers 79-74. The Lancers led 19-16 after one quarter. The score was knotted at 40 at the half. The Gee-Gees ripped-off a 7-0 run and led 63-53 after three quarters. But Najee Brown-Henderson began draining treys as the Lancers built a two-point lead with four minutes to play. The Gee-Gees, though, began to pound the ball inside after Lancer Thomas Kennedy got in foul trouble. In the final minute, Kevin Otoo notched a pair of runouts and Cole Newton a free throw as the Gee-Gees pulled out the win. Otoo said “don’t doubt us. We are underdogs and we have a lot to prove. We’re looking at one goal: the U SPORTS Championship. But we’ve got our eyes on the Wilson Cup first.” Gee-Gees coach James Derouin said “having the atmosphere, the crowd and all the student-athletes here tonight was outstanding. This was probably the most relevant game in this gym since we hosted the Final Four in 2015. Our defence again came through for us. We lean so heavily on our halfcourt defence, and it was huge for us tonight.” Kevin Otoo paced the Gee-Gees with 18 on 7-12 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 2-3 from the line and 5 boards. Dragan Stajic added 17 on 7-15 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 4 boards, 7 assists and 3 steals. Guillaume Pepin notched 14 on 4-13 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Josh Inkumsah scored 12 on 5-8 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards and 2 blocks. Cole Newton added 10 on 4-11 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Jacques-Melaine Guemeta scored 4 on 2-7 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 4 boards. Brock Newton added 2 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 8 boards, 5 assists and 2 blocks. Charles-Antoine Gaba scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor, while Sam Playter, Liban Abdalla, Steven Angenent and Salih Halawa were scoreless. The Gee-Gees hit 31-72 (.431) from the floor, 10-31 (.323) from the arc and 7-12 (.583) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 18 assists, 10 turnovers, 5 blocks and 7 steals. Najee Brown-Henderson paced the Lancers with 29 on 10-26 from the floor, 5-12 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 4 boards and 4 assists. Thomas Kennedy added 17 on 8-18 from the floor, 1-5 from the line and 18 boards. Xavier Ochu notched 13 on 6-16 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 9 boards and 2 assists. Yohann Sam scored 9 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 2 boards. Lorenzo Barbieri added 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2 boards and 4 assists. Quinn Carey scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor, while Daniel Cummings, Anthony Mensah, Brayden Amlin, Josis Mikia-Thomas, Ziphion Grant and Segun Akimbulumo were scoreless. Cummings and Mensah each nabbed 2 boards. The Lancers hit 29-74 (.392) from the floor, 7-19 (.368) from the arc and 9-13 (.692) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 10 assists, 11 turnovers, 2 blocks and 5 steals.
In the final, the 2nd-seeded Ottawa Gee-Gees whipped the top-seeded Carleton Ravens 79-57 after leading 18-15, 35-29 and 55-40 at the quarters. The Gee-Gees notched a 15-3 run in the second quarter as they took command. Guillaume Pepin paced the Gee-Gees with 19 on 7-16 from the floor, 5-11 from the arc and 2 blocks. Kitch McPherson winner as player of the game Kevin Otoo added 17 on 4-8 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 5-7 from the line, 2 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Dragan Stajic notched 13 on 4-15 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 6 boards, 8 assists and 4 steals. Cole Newton scored 12 on 5-11 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Jacques-Melaine Guemeta added 10 on 4-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc and 2 boards. Josh Inkumsah scored 6 on 2-7 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 14 boards and 2 assists. Brock Newton added 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 6 boards and 3 assists, while Sam Playter, Liban Abdalla, Steven Angenent, Salih Halawa and Charles-Antoine Gaba were scoreless. The Gee-Gees hit 27-68 (.397) from the floor, 15-30 from the arc and 10-14 (.714) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 10 fouls, 17 assists, 12 turnovers, 5 blocks and 11 steals. Aiden Warnholtz paced the Ravens with 15 on 6-9 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 2 boards and 6 assists. Eliott Bailey added 11 on 5-13 from the floor 0-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 13 boards and 5 steals. Grant Shephard notched 8 on 4-9 from the floor, 6 boards and 2 blocks. Wazir Latif scored 8 on 3-11 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc and 6 boards. Connor Vreeken added 8 on 3-9 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Gabrael Samaha scored 3 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Marjok Okado added 2 on 1-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 3 boards. Emanuel Milon scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor, while Ben Riley, Jacob Knight, Evan Meyer and Reginald Jean Seraphin were scoreless. Seraphin nabbed 3 boards and blocked 2 shots. The Ravens hit 24-65 (.369) from the floor, 4-19 (.211) from the arc and 5-7 (.714) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 9 fouls, 12 assists, 17 turnovers, 5 blocks and 6 steals.
After the season, Laurentian coach Shawn Swords announces that he will not be returning to the Voyageurs, opting instead to remain as an associate with the G-League’s Long Island Nets. In his 15 years at the Voyageurs helm, Swords compiled a 130-163 record in OUA play. Laurentian replaces Swords and interim coach Georges Serressee with Brock assistant Brandon Edwards. “First and foremost, I’m really excited to be joining a great university and community,” Edwards said. “The Sudbury region loves to support its sports teams and I have seen it first hand as an opposing coach with Brock. When the student body and local community fill the Ben Avery gym, it’s a really tough place to play for other programs because of their excitement, passion and support.” Edwards served as a Brock assistant for four years. He previously served a five years stint with Quebec CEGEP Heritage College. He led the Ontario U17 boys to a silver medal at the 2022 nationals.
The co-bronze medalist Windsor Lancers: Jordon Fullerton; Xavier Ochu; Daniel Cummings; Najee Brown-Henderson; Lorenzo Barbieri; Ben Mascarenhas; Quinn Carey; Anthony Mensah; Brayden Amlin; Isaiah Scipio; Ryan Wasylyshyn; Yohann Sam; Josis Mikia-Thomas; Ziphion Grant; Segun Akimbulumo; Andrew Brayall; Thomas Kennedy; Tyler Grevers?; coach Chris Cheng; assistant Paul Ekocha; assistant Igor Stjepanovic; assistant Andrew Anderi; assistant Greg Surmacz; apprentice Gaurav Sahota; recruiting coordinator Barry Amlin; strength & conditioning Joey Garland; coaching consultant Matt Devin; video coordinator Jake Ryan; analytics Ryan Brunelle; analytics Josh Smart; operations Jared Garon; student therapist Katherine Carter; student therapist Khalil Sam
The co-bronze medalist Queen’s Gaels: Luka Syllas; David Ayon; Cameron Bett; Ian Keefe; Connor Kelly; Cole Syllas; Connor Keefe; Filip Subotic; Samuel Kong; Adrian Nowak; Scott Jenkins; Sebastian Campbell; Isaac Krueger; Gianni Itegeli; Joshua Reimer; Brandon Aultman; Michael Kelvin II; Ryan Heim; Kae Dalen; Lucas Ponting; Simon Bailey; coach Stephan Barrie; assistant John Curcio; assistant Jacob Yager; assistant Justin Wallace; assistant Cal Steele; assistant Desmond Adams; assistant Ryan Barbeau; student trainer Christa Reitter; student trainer Tessa Devos; student trainer Des Tobias; student trainer Emeka Ufondu
The silver medalist Carleton Ravens: Aiden Warnholtz; Grant Shephard; Connor Vreeken; Ben Riley; Elliot Bailey; Gebrael Samaha; Emanuel Milon; Marko Bracticevic; Emmanuel Ugbah; Jacob Knight; Marjok Okado; Luka Dolman; Wazir Latiff; Reginald Jean Seraphin; Evan Meyer; Tony Jacob Knight; Cilien Nelson; coach Taffe Charles; assistant Davy Sanelus; assistant Zachary Angelini; assistant Eric Parthenais; assistant Patrick Sullivan; director of operations Dave Smart; therapist Gabrielle Nickoluk; strength & conditioning Nick Westcott
The champion Ottawa Gee-Gees: Eugene Kanku III; Sam Playter; Kevin Otoo; Josh Inkumsah; Quincy Louis-Jeune; Dragan Stajic; Liban Abdalla; Steven Angenent; Brock Newton; Cole Newton; Cole Newkirk; Thomas Chilton; Nathaniel Simms; Jacques-Melaine Guemeta; Salih Halawa; Charles-Antoine Gaba; Guillaume Pepin; coach James Derouin; assistant Mike L’Africain; assistant Clarence Porter; assistant Damian Buckley; assistant/recruiter Ahmed Mahamoud; assistant Jamil Abaid; mental performance Sieger Roorda