The Humber Hawks women’s basketball team continued their postseason dominance, securing an 84-62 victory over the Loyalist Lancers to advance to the OCAA semi-finals.
Before tip-off, three Hawks received top OCAA honours for their outstanding seasons. Kia Watt was named OCAA Player of the Year, Sarah Baptie earned OCAA Defensive Player of the Year, and rookie Persia Martin-Brown was selected for the OCAA All-Rookie Team.
Facing Loyalist for the first time this season, Humber wasted no time setting the tone. Both teams entered the matchup known for their defensive intensity, ranking among the top three in steals.
However, the Hawks had the early edge, forcing turnovers and having excellent defensive possessions to build an early lead in the first quarter giving Humber a commanding advantage.
Marley Bonnick played a pivotal role in securing the win, earning Player of the Game with a dominant double-double performance—scoring 12 points while grabbing 10 rebounds.
Rebounding was a key factor in Humber’s success, and Bonnick stepped up to the challenge.
“We're not that tall of a team, but we have some people to rebound and help each other out on the defensive end and offensively,” she said.
Bonnick credited the team’s energy and communication for helping neutralize Loyalist’s offensive threats.
“It’s just honing in on our defensive principles and the game plan. We needed to communicate throughout the whole team to help us stop them.”
Head coach Ceejay Nofuente emphasized execution as the key to victory.
“Our execution on offence was crucial,” she said. “We had to really get down, execute our offence, and just score out of that.”
The Lancers attempted to rally in the second half, but the Hawks remained in control. While the Lancers put up their best offensive quarter in the third, they couldn't slow down Humber, who extended their lead heading into the final frame.
Although Humber faced some challenges in the second half turning the ball over multiple times and struggling to score a field goal, Nofuente ensured they remained focused.
“Just got to get them back locking in on defence and getting some stops,” she said. “And then turn that into buckets.”
Despite the constant efforts of Loyalist to get back into the game, the Hawks flipped the momentum back in their favour in the final quarter. This carried throughout the game's final stretch, proving Humber’s grit and determination to finish the game 84-62.
The Hawks now set their sights on their toughest challenge yet: the undefeated Algonquin Wolves, the No. 1 seed from the East Division.
Nofuente stressed a one-game-at-a-time mentality.
“This isn’t the end of our season, so we really got to dig down and compete,” she said.
