There will be a marquee double-header at Michele McConney Court on Georgian College’s campus on Saturday, as both the men’s and women’s basketball teams hope to advance to the provincial semifinals.
First up, the women’s team will take on Mohawk College at 1:00 p.m. ET. It will be the first matchup between the two schools all year.
The Grizzlies notched a 11-3 record in the regular season, giving them second-place in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) east division. While Mohawk had a 11-5 record, leaving them third in the OCAA west.
The two squads met for an exhibition game in January, which Mohawk won 66-58.
The Grizzlies advanced to the quarterfinals after knocking out Redeemer University in the postseason’s first round last weekend, when they beat the Royals 66-60.
Georgian was buoyed by its strong play off the bench, as reserves Dajia Thompson (Whitby, Ont.) and Sydney Shawyer (Horseshoe Valley, Ont.) led the team in scoring, with 16 and 13 points, respectively.
Second-year guard Ami May (Raymond, Alta.) also filled the statsheet against Redeemer, posting nine points, eight rebounds, eight assists, nearly achieving the rare triple-double.
Following the women’s game on Saturday, the Grizzlies’ men’s team will take the court against Sheridan College.
Georgian advanced to the provincial quarterfinals after taking down Conestoga College 99-86 last weekend. The Grizzlies finished the regular season with an impressive 16-2 record, giving them the second-seed in the OCAA east, while Sheridan, with its 11-6 record, finished third-place in the west division.
It will also be the first game between the schools this year, though Sheridan trounced Georgian by a score of 95-63 in a pre-season exhibition game.
Saturday’s tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET, but the start time is also dependent on when the women’s game wraps up.
In the most recent national rankings, Georgian was listed as the ninth-best collegiate team in Canada, while Sheridan was not ranked in the top 15.
The Grizzlies have been led by second-year Trey Wilson (Barrie, Ont.), who has averaged 16.5 points per game this season, leaving him among the top 10 scorers in the province. While third-year Alberto Lopez (Dominican Republic) leads all collegiate players with his three-point shooting percentage of 43.1 per cent.
