SARNIA – Stop us if you've heard this before, but we've got another familiar opponent in the postseason coming to The Den.
The Lambton Women's Basketball Program will host the Humber Hawks on Saturday afternoon in their OCAA Quarter-Final match-up inside the Cestar Group Athletics & Fitness Complex. It is a rematch of the 2023 OCAA Gold Medal Game, a game in which the Hawks came away with a 66-62 win in overtime to punch their ticket to the CCAA Women's Basketball National Championships.
The Lions posted a record of 14-2 in the regular season and are the West Division’s top seed in the playoffs. With their division title, the Lions have secured home court advantage throughout the OCAA playoffs, should they advance past each round.
On the other side, the Hawks come in as the West Division’s fifth seed after posting a regular season record of 9-7.
Tipoff on Saturday is set for 2:00 p.m. in Sarnia. You can also find the game on OCAA Live.
How They Got Here
The Lions have yet to lose in the 2024 calendar year, and they are riding an eight-game winning streak into Saturday's match-up with the Hawks. In their OCAA Crossover Game, the Lions picked up a convincing 70-25 win over the Centennial Colts to advance to the Quarterfinals.
Nationally, the Lions come into the game with the Hawks as the seventh-ranked team in the country, and they are one of two OCAA teams in the Top 15 in the country (Algonquin; 2nd).
Humber comes into Saturday's contest on the heels of a road win in their OCAA Crossover Game. The Hawks picked up a 69-51 win over the Seneca Sting. Overall, the Hawks are 6-4 in their last 10 games, including the regular season and playoffs.
How They Stack Up
Here’s a look at how the teams stack up against one another in terms of statistics from the regular season:
| Lambton Lions | Humber Hawks | |
|---|---|---|
| 73.3 | PTS/GM (OFF) | 70.1 |
| 48.9 | PTS/GM (DEF) | 59.4 |
| 37.6 | FG % | 35.7 |
| 28.0 | 3PT % | 22.5 |
| 73.5 | FT % | 64.4 |
| 50.3 | REB/GM | 48.6 |
| 18.1 | AST/GM | 12.8 |
| 16.0 | STL/GM | 13.6 |
The Lions went 2-0 vs. the Hawks during the 2023-24 regular season.
Players To Watch
Lambton Lions: Breanna Pretty (14.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 3.9 apg; 45.0% FG, 75.9% FT)
Pretty, a fourth-year wing from Sarnia, has been a problem for the Hawks in both of their match-ups this season. The 2023-24 OCAA Player of the Year and CCAA All-Canadian has averaged 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 4.5 steals per game while shooting 56.5% from the field in two wins over the Hawks during the regular season, and she will be looking to have a similar performance in the quarterfinals.
Pretty recorded double-digit points 13 times during the regular season, and she ranked 11th in the league in scoring despite ranking 54th in minutes played per game (26.4).
Humber Hawks: Kia Watt (17.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.7 apg; 38.4% FG, 65.4% FT)
Watt, a fourth-year shooting guard from Toronto, was fourth in the OCAA in scoring during the regular season, averaging 17.8 points per game on 38.4% shooting from the field. In two meetings against the Lions this season, she has managed an average of just 12.0 points per game while being limited to 31.8% shooting from the field. The 2023-24 OCAA First Team All-Star will be looked upon to spark the Humber offense and help guide the Hawks back to the OCAA Semifinals.
The depth of the Hawks will be tested on Saturday, as some familiar faces from their 2023 OCAA Championship team are missing.
Last Meeting
January 27th, 2024: Lambton 74 - 62 Humber (at Humber)
For more information, or for any media inquiries within Lambton College Athletics, please contact:
Tyler Bennett
Lambton College Sports Information & Marketing Coordinator
tyler.bennett@lambtoncollege.ca