George Brown's extramural men's basketball team put forward
a strong performance to kick off their 2017-18 season, racking up a 3-1 record
at the Humber North Invitational.
The Huskies' talent was on full display through their first
two tilts. George Brown got off to a flying start to begin the tournament,
going on an 11-0 first quarter run after tip-off versus Seneca York. Though
Seneca would wake up and make a game of it, the Huskies maintained their edge
before pulling away in the final minutes. Led by a 14-point performance from
Kosheem Simpson, George Brown would take the win by a score of 48-40.
In their next game against the Mohawk Mountaineers, the
Huskies were caught somewhat off-guard by their opponent's initial tenacity.
Friday's tournament showed, however, that the Huskies have an abundance of
capable shooters. By halftime, Mohawk's 15-11 lead to begin the second quarter
was flipped into a 22-19 edge favouring George Brown.
It was a margin the Huskies would maintain and expand. This
time it was Mikael Zushi's 19 points, including 11 tallies in the second half,
which took hold of George Brown's scoring mantle, on the squad's way to a 54-47
victory.
The team's lone misstep came in their third game, a 52-32
loss against the hosts and eventual tournament champions, Humber North. Following
a tight start which saw the Hawks up 15-12 after one, Humber's Trevon Mollison
and Shaw Phillips took off. The pair would score 7 and 6 of their 15 and 8
points in the second quarter, respectively, an offensive outburst which proved
too much for the Huskies to overcome.
George Brown had no intention of allowing their tournament
to end on a losing note, much to Collège Boréal's chagrin. The Vipères worked
to make the match a slow and plodding affair, limiting their opponents to a
13-8 lead as the first quarter came to a close.
But once again, the Huskies pulled away as the game
progressed. What was a five point spread in the first turned into 15 just
minutes into the second quarter, and a steady second half saw George Brown take
the W, 54-42, concluding their tournament with the aforementioned 3-1 record.
"I would say we expected to do more against Humber
North, but we'll take the three wins and we'll go to the next tournament with a
lot more experience, a lot of practice time, and now knowing how teams
play," said Huskies athlete Dalmar Ali.
"We've just got to be able to know how to use each
other," Ali continued. "If we move the ball around, I think no one
can stop us to be honest."
Every tournament is a learning experience, and Huskies head
coach Akai Nettey spoke of the day's importance in getting to know what his players
bring to the table individually, especially come game situations. Improving
cohesiveness will come with familiarity and practice, but Nettey made clear
that the effort level required to succeed is already there.
"Finishing 3-1 is way better than we did last year,
it's progression," he said. "We've just got to get more practice in,
guys getting to know the plays, but all in all these guys worked hard and I'm
very proud of them."
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To see photos of George Brown competing at the Humber North Invitational, click here.