OCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL QUALIFIER PREVIEW

TORONTO - The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) men's basketball regular season is now in the books. For the dozen teams that have advanced to the post-season, there is no margin for error as a single loss will mean elimination from gold medal contention.

The top two teams in each region get a well-deserved break as they have earned automatic entry into the OCAA Men's Basketball Championship, being hosted by Algonquin College from March 1-3. East regional champion Centennial (18-2), West champion Humber (15-3) along with Algonquin (16-4) and Sheridan (14-4) all await their quarter-final opponents.

For the rest of the teams, a sudden death qualifier is all that stands in the way of a berth to the OCAA championship tournament, and the off-season. The third and fourth place teams in each region host the sixth and fifth place teams from the opposite region, respectively.

Durham (12-8, 5th East) at Mohawk (13-5, 4th West)
Saturday, Feb. 25 - 2 p.m.

Both the Mohawk Mountaineers and Durham Lords bring three-game win streaks into their qualifier.

Mohawk fifth-year guard Aminu Bello (Hamilton, Ont.) was the scoring champion in the OCAA West this season, averaging 24.4 points per game. He has scored over 30 points in each of his last two games. Mohawk was 8-1 at home during the regular season.

Durham look to second-year guard Christoff Pierre (Brampton, Ont.) to be a catalyst on offence. Pierre has hit double figures in scoring in each of his last six games. The Lords have identical 6-4 records on the home and away.

The winner of this qualifier faces Centennial in the OCAA quarter-finals.

Fanshawe (12-6, 5th West) at St. Lawrence-Kingston (12-8, 4th East)
Saturday, Feb. 25 - 3 p.m.

Both the Fanshawe Falcons and St. Lawrence Vikings earned a dozen wins each during the regular season. A baker's dozen will get one of these clubs into the OCAA tournament.

Fanshawe brings a three-game win streak into the qualifying round. Second-year guard Boyd Vassell (Kitchener, Ont.) has scored 24 or more points in each of these wins. The Falcons have a 4-5 record away from Fanshawe.

Third-year guard Terence Thomas (Ottawa) leads St. Lawrence in scoring, averaging 15.2 points per game. The Vikings have won three out of their last four games, and have a 7-3 home record.

St. Lawrence and Fanshawe have earned OCAA bronze medals in each of the last two seasons.

The winner of this qualifier faces Humber in the OCAA quarter-finals.

George Brown (11-9, 6th East) at Algoma (13-5, 3rd West)
Saturday, Feb. 25 - 4 p.m.

Algoma puts its 8-1 home record on the line against George Brown.

The Thunderbirds have one of the top scorers in OCAA in fourth-year guard Jovain Wilson. The Pickering, Ont., native is averaging 22.4 points per game, while contributing an average of six rebounds.

George Brown has flipped around its 9-11 record from a year ago. Second-year guard Nana Ntim (Bradford, Ont.) is the top scorer on the Huskies averaging 13.5 points per game. George Brown was an even 5-5 on the road this season.

The winner of this qualifier faces Algonquin in the OCAA quarter-finals.

Niagara (11-7, 6th West) at Georgian (12-8, 3rd East)
Sunday, Feb. 26 - 1 p.m.

The Georgian Grizzlies improved on is 2010-11 regular season record of 9-11, and will host Niagara in a bid to advance to the OCAA tournament.

Second-year forward Shane Rowe (Barrie, Ont.) has been an impressive pick up for the Grizzlies, averaging 22.6 points and 14.6 rebounds for the seasonal double-double. Georgian has won six of its past eight games, and is 7-3 at home.

Niagara has won three of its last four games. The Knights are led offensively by first-year guard Alex Campbell (Brampton, Ont.) and his 18.1 points per game average. Niagara's road record stands as 5-6.

The winner of this qualifier faces Sheridan in the OCAA quarter-finals.

- OCAA -

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The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is a recognized leader in intercollegiate athletics in the province, dedicated to student athlete and sport development. The OCAA has 31 members sponsoring 16 league and tournament championships.

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Josh Bell-Webster
Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
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E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com