The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

WHILE the NCAA’s regular season won’t begin for another week or so, basketball has tipped off in Canadian colleges and several Bahamian players are making an early season impact as their teams look to contend in the 2017-18 season.

In the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference, Samson Cleare is finally receiving his opportunity with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) Ooks and making the most of his time on the floor.

Cleare posted his first double double of the season with 17 points, 15 rebounds and two blocked shots in the Ooks’ 78-75 win over Lakeland College.

With the win, they improved to 3-3 on the season and split the series with Lakleland over the weekend.

In game one, Cleare turned in 14 points and nine rebounds on 6-7 shooting from the field.

After scoring seven and eight points in the two opening contests against Concordia University of Edmonton, he has scored in double figures for four consecutive games.

After missing the preseason, the latest outing boosted his averages to 12.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game on 55 percent shooting from the field.

Cleare was previously sidelined in order to qualify academically but is now an integral member of the Ooks rotation. Led by fellow Bahamian Jackson Jacob, the Ooks claimed the 2015 national championship tournament title but failed to qualify last season. NAIT lost in the semi-final of the ACAC conference tournament and was relegated to the consolation bracket.

Leashja Grant was a force in the interior during the preseason for the Lakehead Thunderwolves and the momentum carried over to the regular season as they began Ontario University Athletics play.

Grant recorded a pair of double doubles as the team got off to a 1-1 start on the year.

In game one she finished with 15 points 10 rebounds and four blocked shots in the Thunderwolves’ 77-61 loss to the Queen’s Gaels. Lakehead opened the game on a 9-0 run but were unable to maintain that advantage in the first half. Lakehead led 19-18 at the end of the first, but Queen’s recovered to take a 48-33 lead at the half.

“We really struggled with our offence in the second which lead to poor shots leading to easy transition scores for Queens” said Thunderwolves Head Coach Jon Kreiner.

In game two, the Thunderwolves rebounded for a 69-63 win over the York Lions. Grant finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds to lead the effort.

The Thunderwolves had a strong start and pushed a 36-27 lead by half. Lakehead led 53-45 at the end of the third, but York forced turnovers and bounced back taking the lead, 57-53 with five minutes left in the fourth.

“Great bounce back game for our squad. We played very well in the first half but turnovers and a lack of ball movement hurt is in the third Q and early 4th. We battled all game.

The Thunderwolves went 6-1 in the preseason led by Grant’s 24 points per game.

The Bahamian presence of Van Hutchinson Jr, Jordan Wilson and Kevin Cooper for the Niagara College Knights has helped the team to a 2-0 start to the season in Ontario Collegiate Athletic Association play.

Van Hutchinson Jr nearly posted a triple double in the Knights’ 81-58. He finished with 10 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists and two blocked shots.

“UTM came out fired up with a big home crowd which carried them the whole first half” said Niagara Knights head coach Mike Hurley. “We did not play well to start the game and in the first quarter and we definitely didn’t play as a team. We got a little better in the third and we were able to find our rhythm and hit our stride in the fourth quarter.”

They opened the season with a 70-60 win over the Mohawk Mountaineers. Hutchinson finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists and four steals.

The Knights are set to host 2018 OCAA Championship from March 1-3.