By Caio Miari and Marcus Rebelo
Despite Kyrin Henlin’s all-around game, the Centennial Colts men’s basketball team fell short against the George Brown Huskies 79-68 in the 2019 season opener Friday night at Progress Campus.
Henlin led the game in minutes played (37), points (27), and steals (5), while adding a team-high six rebounds.
“Last year I was a rookie and young guy. We had a lot of veterans so I was trying to get use to everything. Everything was new to me,” said the second-year player, after the game. “But this year I feel a lot more comfortable. I’ve been through everything already, I’m one of the older guys now, and more of a leader now.”
But all his effort wasn’t enough for the Colts (0-1) to kick off the season with a win.
“He (Henlin) gave us all that he could have but we need other guys to make sure they step up on certain spots,” said head coach Trevor Challenger, in his post-game availability.
Centennial’s downfall was evidently displayed by contrasting quarters throughout the night.
The Huskies (1-0) opened with a 30-12 advantage, after starting the game with a 18-2 run. But the next 10 minutes of basketball were different, with the Colts outscoring the visitors 19-8 and cutting the deficit to six points at halftime.
In the third period, George Brown was able to re-extend its lead, outmatching Centennial 22-16 to make it a double-digit game again.
“First quarter we had no urgency and no fight, they came out like it was a home game for them,” said Henlin. “Second quarter we bounced back and fought hard and we had energy like we were at home. Third quarter was the same as the first, and fourth we came back and fought but it was too late.”
The final period also had a defining moment, according to coach Challenger.
“We lost momentum on that foul,” said Challenger on the fourth-quarter called charge that fouled out second-year guard Isaiah Cromwell-Wright. “I don’t believe it was a foul, it’s not based on that foul (we lost).
“We had so many opportunities in the game to score and capitalize so we can’t blame it on one play.”
Cromwell-Wright, Colts’ second-highest scorer in 2018, added seven points and four assists in 23 minutes played.
Coming off the bench, first-year forward Shermar Brisett was the only other Colt to score more than 10.
On the other hand, the Huskies had four different players reaching the double-digit mark. Haany Ahmed topped the list with 21 points, followed by Christian Tabiri’s 16.
While both teams were almost even shooting from the field (George Brown 37.7%-37.1%), the visitors outshot the home side from the three-point line 36% (9-25) to 15.4% (2-13).
The Colts will now face the St. Lawrence Vikings on the road Friday, October 25 seeking their first win of the season.
NATIONAL BASKETBALL YOUTH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
The NBYMP donated $1,500 to Centennial College, to help the institution in its charity contribution to society.
HALFTIME SHOW
The Northern Kings Central boys basketball team lined up on Team White and Team Black on the court during half time to play a mini-game in front of the crowd at Progress Field.
OCTOBER BREAST CANCER AWARE MONTH
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In honour of this, all of the athletes wore pink t-shirts to help raise awareness for the cause.