The Niagara Knights men's basketball program (12-6, 5th OCAA West) downed the Humber Hawks (13-5, 3rd OCAA West) on Friday night in Welland. Despite the victory, the Knights will finish the regular season in the fifth position in the West division.
It was a back and forth game throughout. The Knights dominated the first quarter, outscoring the Hawks 29-12. However, the Hawks would storm back and square things up at the halftime break. The Hawks would lead by as many as four in the third quarter, before Niagara took the lead for good late in the frame. Collectively the Knights outscored Humber 40-33 in the second frame to secure the seven point victory.
In a game charged with emotion, Marako Lundy (Nassau, Bahamas) was the catalyst for the Knights in the contest, recording a season-high 25 points in the victory. He also added five rebounds, six assists, and two steals against the Hawks. Delroy Grandison (Kingston, Jamaica) added 15 points of his own. Jordan McDonald (Mississauga) was also a key contributor in the victory recording a double-double, contributing 11 points and collecting 11 rebounds in the victory.
Friday's matchup also served as grad night for the Knights, who honoured Tyrell Rogers (Mississauga) prior to the game for his accomplishments. Niagara will now enter the playoffs having won six of nine games in the regular season's second half. With the fifth place finish in the West division, the Knights will travel cross over against an East division opponent this coming weekend for the first round. Should they advance, they will head to the OCAA Championships, hosted by the Humber Hawks, from March 3-5.
