Kia Watt
The 2023 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Women's Basketball Championship concluded Sunday at Niagara College's Welland Campus Athletic Centre, with the Humber Hawks (15-1, 1st West) being crowned provincial champions in a 66-62 overtime victory versus the Lambton Lions (13-3, 2nd West).
In front of a jam-packed crowd in Welland, the Lions were able to feed off the energy of their traveling fans and open the game with a 7-2 run with four early points by Lambton's semifinal Player of the Game Claire Dechet (G). The Lions improved greatly from their semifinal shooting woes hitting 50 per cent of their first quarter field goal attempts for 19 points, taking a 19-10 lead into the second quarter.
The Lions were the best defensive team in the West in the regular season and showed why again in the first quarter limiting Humber's looks inside the paint, while they struggled to connect from deep, going 0-of-8 from beyond the arc in the first quarter. Humber broke out in the second quarter going on their own scoring run to bring the game within one with over half of the quarter left to play. The second quarter was a chess match with each team having a response to every basket made. After several lead changes both teams headed to the locker rooms honours even, 33-33 leaving it all to play for in second half.
CCAA All-Canadian Kia Watt (180-SG) was crucial in bringing the Hawks back into the game recording seven points, eight rebounds, and two assists in the first half. Coming out of the half time break the Lions were able to keep the Hawks relatively quiet again from the field holding them to only two made fields goals through the first half of the third quarter, building a six-point lead 43-37. Despite the Lions success to start the third, the Hawks were able to fight back through the fifth-year guard Brittney English (186-F) 12 third quarter points to draw again 47-47 going into the final quarter of the game.
With all the marbles up for grabs the cagey final quarter saw both teams going shot for shot with the Lions holding a slim one-point lead 54-53 with just over four minutes left to play. Again, in the fourth just like the third, English took over the game for the Hawks hitting two clutch three pointers in fourth with the second giving the Hawks a 56-54 lead with three minutes to play. The Lions were once again able to find some clutch baskets from OCAA West Division First Team All-Star Breanna Pretty (G/F) and second-year guard Emily Van Hooft to take a two-point lead, the Hawks found an answer to tie the game once again 58-58 with a minute left to play. With possession of the ball and only 10 seconds on the clock, the Hawks found Watt who with 1.2 seconds left caused an offensive foul, giving the Lions one shot to win the championship. Off the Lion's inbound play, they found OCAA West Division Second Team All-Star Maddy Bishop (G), who missed a contested three to end regular time 58-58.
After four quarters of hard-fought basketball no winner could be decided, and the game was sent to overtime. After taking a three-point advantage through a successful and one basket from Nicole Chateau (170-G) the Hawks were able to seal a 66-62 victory through a Watt lay-up with six seconds left on the clock to win back-to-back OCAA women's basketball championships. Kala Wagg (G) was named Lambton's Player of the Game with a team-high 18 points, five rebounds, and three steals, while English was named Player of the Game for the Hawks with a game-high 20 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals. Pretty of the Lambton Lions was named an OCAA Championship All-Star, as well as English and Kayah Clarke (175-G) for the Hawks for their outstanding performances throughout the weekend. Humber guard Watt was named the OCAA Championship MVP.
Courtesy of ocaa.com
Tags : KIA WATT, HUMBER COLLEGE, CANADIAN BASKETBALL
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