By: Nadine Mcharafie

 

Last weekend kicked off with back-to-back game days for each team. Some teams are still trying to find 

their rhythm, while others are proving to be worthy opponents and dominating on the court. Here is a 

brief recap of what went down in each game:

 

Saturday games:

Huskies vs. Peak Canada – This fast paced game was a very good matchup, as both teams essentially 

exchanged buckets to keep the score close. Huskies were efficient with offensive rebounds, giving them 

opportunities for second chance points, and their #24-Campbell showed proficient defense - he finished with 19 points & 7 rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. They played 

a good first half, leading by 5 at halftime. Peak guard #1-Lewis has great handles and is an excellent 

finisher at the rim, contributing 26 points and 5 assists; both guards (#1-Lewis and #34-Jerome - who had 13 pts.) make for an impressive backcourt. Huskies 

trailed by as many as 11 in the second period, but made a run for it, including a play where #11-Sahil hit 

a corner 3, which was followed by a Peak turnover and an and-1 layup by #7-El Sadig (with the made 

free throw), making it a 1 point game with 1:10 remaining. Despite good effort by the team, including #13-Skoko's 18 points, the last seconds were to no avail for the 

Huskies as they turned the ball over, fouled, and missed some key 3 pointers. Peak win 65-62.

 

Hoyas vs. N.W. – N.W. plays with high intensity, and in this game, Hoyas were not able to match it 

despite a game-high 27 points from #12-O. Passley (including 7-of-8 from downtown). The first period 

ended with a 5-point N.W. lead, but quickly increased to 13 in the opening few minutes of the second 

half. Hoyas managed to cut that down significantly to make it a close game, especially with the help of 

#12-O.Passley, #1-T.V. 905, and #15-D.Passley. However, it was game over after N.W. #8-Clark hit a 3, 

followed by a good run from the team to close out the game.

 

Woes vs. City – Woes open the game with a quick 13-2 lead, facilitated by #0-Omar’s team-high 20 

points and their excellent defense. City eventually picked up the pace when its 3-point assassin #15-

Jatana did not know how to miss (shooting 7-of-7 from 3-point range, and totaling 31 points). The game 

got intense when it was tied at 63 with 18 seconds remaining and ultimately going to OT. Woes made a 

6-1 run in the first 2 minutes of overtime, followed by a game-clinching 3 pointer by #44-Otin, giving 

Woes an 8 point lead with under 1 minute to go. Even #15-Jatana’s jumper from downtown couldn’t lift 

City out of this ditch. Woes win by 7.

 

North vs. West Bridge – The reigning champions, North, were back at it showing they are still a team 

that should be feared. The first half of the game consisted of a lot of exchanged baskets, but ended with 

a North lead that was extended further after #23-Williams hit a 3-pointer, ending the first half at 42-33. The 

second period opened up with pure North dominance on both ends, #23-Williams and #34-Blake leading the 

scoreboard with 32 and 31 points, respectively. Despite the effort from West’s #11-Sofarsohall banking 

12-of-22 shots totaling 28 points, they ultimately got blown out, falling 98-70 to the defending champs.

 

Ssauga Elite vs. Black Mambas – This exciting fast-paced game was highly entertaining to watch. Ssauga 

Elite players are very athletic, have smooth finishes at the rim, and most of them are high flying dunkers. 

Ssauga #3-R. Diankulu hits 2 back-to-back 3-pointers in the first half (finishing with 18 pts. and 5 

rebounds), while Mambas #12-Gyamfi responds with 2 back-to-back and-1s. Ssauga led the game by 5 at 

half, but Mambas entered the 2nd half and dominated, #12-Gyamfi leading the charge with several big 

dunks and an incredible 23 pts (shooting 92% from the field), 7 boards, and 7 assists! Mambas were up 

by 7 with 2 mins left in the game, after 3 consecutive turnovers by Ssauga and some missed shots. 

Ssauga #8-Coleman hit a 3 with 45 seconds remaining – finishing with 16 pts and 5 assists – but Mambas 

had the last say when #1-Provo dished a behind-the-back pass to #24-Taylor for an easy layup, followed 

by another slam from #12-Gyamfi to end the game at 71-64 Mamba win.

 

Spurs vs. Squad Up – The game opened up with both teams basically exchanging baskets for the first 10 

mins, until Squad Up #3-Eduful hit a 3, followed by a layup, and then another 3 to give his team a 9 point 

lead at halftime! Squad Up had an advantage with #45-Munier in the paint (finishing with 23 pts.), and 

#5-@Kingkg212121 with the rebounds – 7 in total – and put backs. Spurs’ defense wasn’t as tight as it 

should have been, which allowed Squad Up to take uncontested shots, and as a result Spurs were down 

15 at the half. Spurs #14-Curic was a vicious blocker, finishing with 3 blocks (and 18 pts, including 4 from 

downtown). So #14-Curic along with #15-Gul (15 pts), and #12-St. Jean – who was effective on both ends 

of the floor and finished with 11 points – helped the Spurs rally back to within 5 points in the last few 

minutes. Squad Up had to get stops to maintain the lead, and that’s exactly what they did. Playing great 

defense, they stole the ball on consecutive plays, and outplayed the Spurs by 13 points.

 

Monarchs vs. Prestige World Wide – Monarchs dominated the game from the start, with scoreboard 

leader #12-Alilovic finishing with 20 points and playing good defense. PG #51-Lemos on Monarchs has 

impressive handles and is very effective on defense as well, which made Monarchs’ overall defense 

superior to that of Prestige’s, and led to a 26-15 Monarchs lead at half. Prestige player #30-Kostecki 

broke their dry spell when he hit back-to-back 3s – finishing with a team high score of 16 (going 5-of-5 

from the field) – which was followed by a long pass down the stretch to #5-Gray for an easy layup, 

bringing them to within 7 with 10 minutes left. The final minute doomed Prestige, as they were only 

down by 4, until Monarchs #12-Alilovic slams the ball in, increasing the lead to 6. This was followed by a 

turnover by Prestige and intentional foul on #51-Lemos, who made his first free throw, and rebounded 

his own missed second one, killed time, and ended a relatively low-scoring game at 43-36 Monarch win.