By: Caio Miari and Kajan Thiruthanikasalam
The Centennial Colts men's and women's basketball teams have had their fair share of exhilarating ups and dismal downs over the course of the first half of the 2019-2020 season.
But both Centennial teams closed out 2019 as well as this decade with a pair of blowout home victories over the Georgian Grizzlies. For the women, it was their first home win of the season, while the men remained undefeated at home for the season thus far.
Here’s a quick recap of each of the basketball teams heading into 2020.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Record: 6-4 (5-0 at home, 1-4 away)
Standings: Tied for fourth in OCAA East
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
PPG: Kyrin Henlin (14.1)
RPG: Dieu Merci Betoukoumessou (8.3)
APG: Josh Sales (4.4)
SPG: Kyrin Henlin, Josh Sales (2.1)
BPG: Kyrin Henlin (1.0)
FG%: Dieu Merci Betoukoumessou (62.1)
3FG% (min. 3 att. per game): Carlo Pantaleon (37.2)
FT%: Carlo Pantaleon (100)
Best Win: At home vs. Georgian Grizzlies (75-48)
Worst Loss: On road vs. UTM Eagles (83-90)
Notable Game Stat: Josh Sales on Nov. 27 vs Georgian (4 blocks)
Centennial went into this previous summer looking to add tough-minded players to their squad after falling in the crossover game on the road to the Redeemer Royals the previous season.
Guards Tyrese McCarty, Asher Richards, and Josh Sales; and forwards Shermar Brisett, Vasay Nadeem as well as Owen Shirley were the new guys on the team. Nathan Collins and Walshak Yusuf both returned to the team after playing during the 2017-18 campaign.
After winning their home opener via forfeit from the George Brown Huskies on Oct. 18, the men went out east for a two-game road trip (Oct. 25-26) and lost both games, one to the St. Lawrence Vikings (70-72) and one to the Loyalist Lancers (85-103).
The Colts recovered nicely with a three game winning streak as they swept a two-game homestand against the La Cite Coyotes on Nov. 1 (77-57) and Algonquin Thunder on Nov. 2 (85-60) before winning the first of a three game road trip in the following week versus the Fleming Knights (87-64).
Centennial played tough with the top ranked OCAA East team in the Seneca Sting on Nov. 12, losing by seven (74-81) in their next game. But their 90-83 loss to the UTM Eagles on Nov. 17 left a bad taste in the Colts’ mouths as they headed into their final two home games of the year.
Against the Durham Lords and Grizzlies, the Colts emphasized ball movement and tough team defense. It worked wonders as they beat Durham (84-71) and Georgian (75-48) comfortably by double digits.
The Colts faced off the Sheridan Bruins and Humber Hawks over the break (Dec. 28) as part of the annual OCAA East-West Holiday Classic. But Centennial wasn’t able to carry its momentum, suffering back-to-back blowout losses (111-71 vs. Sheridan; 98-69 vs. Humber).
Centennial’s ability to get to the free-throw line is evident as they are second in the OCAA in made free throws (18.6) and third in attempts (27.6). Their field goal efficiency at 43.6% is ranked seventh, due in large part to the work inside of Betoukoumessou, whose improvement across the board as well as good health has been a joy to watch.
Defensively, their tenaciousness on the perimeter and in the paint holds a favourable picture stats-wise as Centennial ranks second in points allowed per game (72.6) and third in opponent field goal percentage (38.1%).
Ball movement and three-point shooting are areas of concern for the Colts as they rank in the bottom 10 in the province in those categories.
Centennial will officially kick off the second half of the 2019-2020 season on Jan. 10 on the road at 8:15pm against the George Brown Huskies, who are tied for first in the OCAA East with a 9-1 record. Look for the Colts to make a statement to start off the new decade!
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Record: 2-6 (1-4 at home, 1-4 on road)
Standings: Tied for seventh in OCAA East
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
PPG: Cori Browne (17.0)
RPG: Beyonce Hosang (8.8)
APG: Cori Browne (2.4)
SPG: Cori Browne (1.4)
BPG: Jaylah Joseph (0.4)
FG%: Cori Browne (56.8)
3FG%: Cori Browne (42.3)
FT%: Cori Browne (77.4)
Best Win: On road vs. St. Lawrence Vikings (83-60)
Worst Loss: At home vs. Durham Lords (56-83)
Notable Game Stat: Cori Browne (31 pts; 11-16 FG, 8-9 FT)
The Lady Colts had a dismal season last year finishing with a 2-18 record. Returning players like Cori Browne, Christianna Crooks, and Judy Ta were determined not to let a repeat of last year happen. There was intrigue heading into this season for Centennial as 10 new faces joined the squad.
The Colts showed a lot of promise in their season opener on Oct. 18 against the George Brown Huskies, losing by just six (75-81) before responding in a big way against the St. Lawrence Vikings with a 83-60 win on the road on Oct. 25 as five players scored in double figures during that game.
After that, however, the wheels fell off for Centennial as they promptly went on a five-game losing streak. They competed until the very end on the second game of a back-to-back the next day against the Loyalist Lancers, nearly overcoming a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit on the strength of Browne’s season-high 31 points, but ultimately fell 78-73.
The Colts then suffered consecutive double-digit losses on Nov. 2 at home against the Algonquin Thunder (70-93) and on the road Nov. 12 against the Seneca Sting (49-62). A poor third quarter on both ends proved to be their undoing against the Thunder while the Colts struggled offensively versus Seneca.
However, they showed their resolve despite a 89-82 defeat on the road Nov. 17 against the UTM Eagles, nearly overcoming a 27-point deficit. Ta had a career-high 26 points on six made triples in the occasion, while Browne added 24.
But all that goodwill from that road game evaporated when they were blown out by the Durham Lords at home on Nov. 20 (56-83) after allowing the visitors to nail 13 triples. That left Nov. 27 against the Grizzlies as their last chance to get a win before the first half of the season ended.
Just like in their win against the Vikings, balanced scoring was the story for Centennial against Georgian as four players scored in double figures in a 78-51 home win. A 23-0 run sparked the Colts early in the first quarter and they never looked back.
It has been a season to remember for Browne, who has most definitely back after an injury-marred first season as a Colt last year. The veteran guard leads the team in all shooting categories as well as points, steals, and assists per game.
Like the men’s team, Centennial loves to go to the charity stripe, ranking first in the OCAA in both free throw makes (16.0) and attempts (25.0). They also rank fourth in the province in three pointers per game (8.0) as well as attempts (27.1) and fifth in three-point percentage (27.5%).
On the other side of the ball, the young Lady Colts have struggled. They rank 16th in the OCAA in points per game allowed (74.6) and 13th in opponent field-goal percentage (35.2%). However, they took a step in the right direction in their last game, limiting the Grizzlies to just 51 points on 28.4% shooting overall.
Centennial looks to start off the second half of the season with a bang as they head out on the road on Jan. 10 at 6:00pm to face off George Brown. Watch out for the Lady Colts as they look to do some damage in the OCAA!
Check out the full schedule for the Men’s and Women’s basketball here: https://gocolts.ca/composite