The Niagara College Knights Men's Basketball team have been denied a chance to compete at the 2011-2012 Provincial Championships after they lost 79-66 to the Georgian College Grizzlies in an OCAA Championships on Sunday afternoon in Barrie.
Niagara, who finished in 6th place in the OCAA West Region with a record of 11-7, were taking on a Grizzlies team that finished in 3rd place in the OCAA East Region at 13-5.
The Knights, who had a 4-5 road record during the regular season, got off to a slow start against the Grizzlies, who were 7-3 at home this year. After the first ten minutes, the Knights were trailing 21-14.
Before they headed to the dressing rooms at halftime, they were able to cut the deficit to five points (39-34). That would be as close as Niagara would get. In the second half, the Grizzlies pulled away from the Knights outscoring them 20-15 in the 3rd quarter and 20-17 in the final frame to seal the victory.
"We just never really showed up" said head coach Steve Atkin. "The Grizzlies outplayed us in every facet of the game, and they simply wanted it more than we did," the disappointed coach added.
Once again, poor shooting was a major factor contributing to the loss for Niagara. The team shot just 22% from the field and only 17% from behind the arc.
Jimmy Bilenga (Hamilton, ON) led the Knights in scoring with 21 points. Marako Lundy (Nassau, Bahamas) contributed with 12 points, while Alex Shah (St. Catharines, ON) and Ashton Stephenson (Brampton, ON) each had 10.
Rashad Morley (Nassau, Bahamas) just missed recording a double-double with nine points and 16 rebounds.
This was the second meeting of the year between these two teams. Niagara beat the Grizzlies 97-71 in exhibition play at the St. Lawrence College Invitational Tournament back in October.
The Georgian Grizzlies will now advance to the OCAA Championships taking place at Algonquin College in Ottawa from March 1-3. They will face the Sheridan College Bruins (14-4, 2nd in OCAA West) in a quarter-finals game.
Meanwhile, the Knights, who have missed making it to the OCAA Championships in two of the past three years, will try and rebuild for next season.
