Niagara men roar into break

Centennial grad Alex Elliott is shown in action versus Fanshawe. Photo by RYAN MCCULLOUGH.

The Niagara College Knights men’s basketball team concluded the first half of its season with a 110-95 victory over the Sheridan Bruins, the third-ranked team in Ontario Colleges Athletic Association play.

“This is a big win for us as we head into the break and get a well-deserved break,” Niagara coach Phil Mosley said. “Sheridan has a relentless press and tonight our guys handled their pressure and scored well in transition.”

Niagara improved to 8-3 on the season with the victory and sits in a tie for second place with Sheridan.

In getting to the 100-point plateau for the seventh time this season — Niagara had only hit the 100-point point six times total in the previous six seasons combined — the Knights led 55-52 at the half and went into the final quarter leading by a 74-72 margin.

Leading the way for Niagara were: Welland Centennial grad Alex Elliott with a career-high 28 points; Van Hutchinson Jr. with a double-double made up of 26 points and 11 assists; Jordon McDonald, 12 points and 11 rebounds: Saint Paul product Johnnie Richardson, 10 points, three steals and three assists; Keveshan Padachey, 15 points; and, Ridley College grad Livingston Bromwell, six points and six rebounds.

Hutchinson Jr. is leading the OCAA with 269 points, 124 rebounds, 85 assists, and 31 steals. As for per game averages, he is first in assists (7.7), second in rebounding (11.3), third in scoring (24.5) and fourth in assists (2.8).

Next league action for Niagara’s men is a Jan. 11 road game versus the Redeemer Royals. Niagara will host the annual Knights Invitational on Jan 2 and 3.

NIAGARA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Niagara’s women’s basketball team got off to a great start versus the top-ranked Sheridan Bruins before ultimately ending up on the wrong side of a 57-52 decision.

Sixth-place Niagara led by 12 points at the half and eight points after the third quarter before the Bruins roared all the way back with a 23-11 scoring advantage in the final quarter.

The sixth-place Knights fell to 5-6 with the loss while Sheridan improved to 9-2.

Leading the way for Niagara were: Centennial product Bridget Atkinson, 13 points and 12 rebounds; Alannah Yates, 14 points; Thorold grad Hannah Baker, 10 points and five steals; and, Holy Cross grad Tia Stys, six points and nine boards.

Niagara returns to action Jan. 11 with a road game in Ancaster versus the Redeemer Royals. Like their male counterparts, Niagara will host the annual Knights Invitational Jan. 2 and 3 at the  Welland Campus Athletic Centre.