The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIANS were the driving force behind the Holland College Hurricanes’ historic football milestones over the past few years. Now, on the basketball hardwood.

Senior forward Leo Morris helped lead the Hurricanes to their first Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) basketball championship in school history and berth in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships.

The Hurricanes were able to fend off a late rally from the St Thomas Tommies to go on the road and capture the ACAA championship with a 70-61 victory in the final on Sunday in Fredricton, New Brunswick.

Morris finished with 15 points and five rebounds. Teammate and ACAA Rookie of the Year Chase Bowden led the Hurricanes with 16 points and 15 rebounds, while Steve Hardy chipped in with 15. Nathan Mazurkiewicz led the Tommies with a game high 20 points.

The Hurricanes shot 46 per cent from the field and 32 per cent from beyond the three-point arch while the Tommies shot 32 per cent from the field and 21 per cent from the three-point line.

Hardy, who hit the game winning three-pointer against Mount St Vincent in the semifinals on Saturday, was named the player of the game.

The Hurricanes finished conference play with a 20-3 record and now set their sights on Sainte Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, for the CCAA tournament set for March 14-16.

Morris was the catalyst early for the Hurricanes and opened by scoring the first six points of the game.

The Hurricanes led 24-13 at the end of the first quarter and 37-22 at the half.

The Tommies began their comeback trail in the third quarter and trimmed the deficit to single digits but the Hurricanes were able to produce an answer for every run.

By the end of the third, Holland College regained a commanding 53-40 lead headed into the fourth.

The game seemed out of reach until the Tommies rallied again to bring the lead within three with 1:51 left to play.

The Hurricanes shot just 51 per cent from the line (16-31), but converted eight of those within the last 1:30 of the game to seal the win and conference title.

The Hurricanes led the conference in scoring at nearly 88 points per game while shooting 49 per cent from the floor.

Morris finished the regular season averaging 14 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and was named to the All-ACAA Second team.

The ACAA is the governing body for collegiate sports in Atlantic, Canada. It began in 1967 as the Nova Scotia College Conference, and now the ACAA is represented by nine schools in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island competing in six sports.

The ACAA is a member of the CCAA, and provincial champions compete for national collegiate titles.

The CCAA is the national governing body for organised sports at colleges in Canada since 1974 and hosts 10 annual national championships.