On Friday, October 17th, the Niagara College men's basketball program went on the road to compete in the 38th Annual David Stewart Basketball Tournament.
Game one had the Knights matched up against the St. Lawrence Vikings, coming away with a 65-59 victory. Niagara's bench dominated, outscoring the Vikings bench 22-7. The Knights also forced 24 turnovers which they converted into 19 points.
Trevon Ash, the talented guard out of San Diego, had a game high 21 points. Freshman forward Delroy Grandison (Kingston, JA) contributed with 9 points and 9 rebounds, helping the Knights move on to the semi-finals.
In the semi-finals, Niagara took on the Fanshawe Falcons in what turned out to be a highly contested game that saw seven lead changes and six ties. After the first quarter, Niagara had a 9 point lead but failed to hold on and ultimately lost to the Falcons 72-66. The Knights allowed the Falcons to shoot 44% from deep and turned the ball over 21 times, creating a deficit too large to overcome.
Ryan Christie (Hamilton, ON) lead the Knights offensive attack doing what he does best, scoring 15 points and grabbing 14 boards. Second year general arts major Tyrell Rogers (Mississauga, ON) also contributed with 11 points, shooting perfect from the free throw line.
The Durham Lords beat the Fanshawe Falcons in the championship 63-61, for their 7th win in the 38 year history of the tournament.
Up next for the Knights will be a road game against the Sheridan Bruins to kick off the regular season. Last season the Bruins went 15-3 and are the defending OCAA Champions.
