By: Sarah Maat SCARBOROUGH, ON – Tavonn Mars-Buckley led the Centennial Colts with 14 points and a decisive dunk to end the match as they defeated the Seneca Sting 64-57 on Wednesday night.
Husam Shallo finished the game with 13 points, seven rebounds and an ice-cold 3 to help seal the win. Omar Nur—at seven feet two inches—also added for the Colts with eight points and seven rebounds.
The Colts struggled with finishing early in the first quarter; however, their relentless defence down the floor kept them in the game. Of the 64 points the Colts scored this game, 30 came from inside the paint.
Throughout the game, the Sting were their own worst enemy, allowing the Colts to produce 16 points off 17 turnovers. However, by the middle of the second quarter, Seneca would come within striking distance as they closed the gap to six points.
"At times we were getting flustered, so I told my team to be poised and to understand our game plan. I think once we settled in, our mentality changed a lot, especially on defence," Coach Michael Jackman said.
The Colts bounced back easily in the second half with a seven-point run to extend their lead. Despite several 10-point leads, the Sting refused to go down easy, keeping the game within single digits for most of the fourth quarter.
With one minute left of play, the Colts needed an insurance policy as the Sting had closed the gap to four points. Shallo delivered, dropping a step-back three to extend the lead to 6. Only 15 seconds after Shallo's three, the Sting answered with one of their own from Elijah Green, their first three of the game, to put the game within three points with 10 seconds left.
The Colts would seal the win after Tavonn Mars-Buckley forced a turnover, sending the crowd into pandemonium with a thunderous slam.
"Down the stretch we were clutch, but it needs to be a consistent game the next game because we are facing the number one team in the OCAA," Coach Jackman said. "We just needed to have a full reset to get back to our stage."
The Centennial Colts will play their next match-up against the Durham Lords at home on Saturday in a battle to determine first in the East.