Top 4 seeded teams advance to OSBA Men’s semifinals Saturday at Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre
OSBA Men’s Quarterfinal 1: (1) Royal Crown vs. (8) Victory Academy
The number one seed Royal Crown Academy began the 2023 OSBA men’s Final 8 provincial championship tournament with a dominant 95-80 victory over eighth seed Victory Academy.
It did not take long for Royal Crown to establish their offensive pressure after taking a commanding 11-point lead after the first quarter and establishing a 47-34 lead at halftime. Royal Crown forward #15 Michael Evbagharu dominated the ball scoring 26 points and making four consecutive three pointers in the fourth quarter to help secure the win.
Despite trailing the whole game, Victory Academy guard Anderson Cummins finished the game with 19 points and helped keep his team within a single-digit deficit going into the fourth. Sean Blake, scored the most points in the game with 28, but still Victory ultimately fell short in the 15 point loss.
Royal Crown will go on to play J. Addison in the semifinals at 4pm est. on Saturday March 4 at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.
Top three scorers for Royal Crown
- Michael Evbagharu – 26 points
- Jahari Williamson – 18 points
- Koat Thomas – 16 points
Top three scorers for Victory Academy
- Sean Blake – 28 points
- Anderson Cummins – 19 points
- Tysen Dimech-Dufrane – 16 points
OSBA Men’s Quarterfinal 2: (2) United Scholastic Academy vs. (7) Lincoln Prep
The second seed United Scholastic Academy (USA) put on a dominating performance to kickstart their 2023 OSBA men’s Final 8 quarter final with a 77-55 victory over the seventh seed Lincoln Prep.
United Scholastic began with a 15-0 run to start the game and remained in control to find themselves up 24-12 by the end of the first quarter. It didn’t take long for United Scholastic to figure out Lincoln
Prep’s defensive schemes after scoring 23 more points in the second quarter, USA guard Yamari Allette was dominant from mid-range scoring 16 points before the half to give his team a 47-26 lead at the end of two quarters.
Despite their team only scoring ten points in the third quarter, Lincoln Prep guard Malik Gibbs was effective with the ball, scoring 16 points and playing a big role in shutting down Scholastic’s offense in the fourth by limiting them to just seven points, the lowest scoring quarter by a team in the tournament thus far.
United Scholastic Academy will go on to play Fort Erie RED in the semifinals at Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre at 6pm est. on Saturday March 4.
Top three scorers for United Scholastic
- Yamari Allette – 18 points
- Kobe Charles – 16 points
- Max Voorpool – 10 points
Top three scorers for Lincoln Prep
- Malik Gibbs – 16 points
- Chidube Ekwommadu – 11 points
- Christian Desjardins – 6 points
OSBA Men’s Quarterfinal 3: (4) J. Addison vs. (5) Inspire Academy
The fourth seeded J.Addison showed impressive teamwork against the fifth seeded Inspire Academy in the quarter finals of the 2023 OSBA men’s Final 8 tournament earning their way to a semifinal appearance after a convincing 102-73 win.
J. Addison opened with pressure early, utilizing all players on the floor to score 32 points in the first quarter, the most points in a quarter seen in the competition so far. It didn’t stop there as they took a commanding 60-44 lead into halftime after allowing 27 points in the second quarter.
J.Addison G/F Ibrahim Sacko, led the way for his team by demonstrating strong perimeter defense in the third quarter to maintain his team’s 27-point lead heading into the final quarter and finished with a game-high 28 points.
Inspire Academy forward Emmanuel Ngo Kana Suzama was active in the paint scoring 11 points and played a big role in the team’s 73 points. Despite the effort Inspire were not able to adapt to J. Addison’s fast-paced ball movement and lack of turnovers.
J. Addison looks to take on Royal Crown in the semifinals at 4pm on March 4 at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.
Top three scorers for J.Addison
- Ibrahim Sacko – 28 points
- Nemanja Sarkanovic – 15 points
- Isaiah Flores – 12 points
Top three scorers for Inspire Academy
- Cairo Perry – 11 points
- Emmanuel Ngo Kana Suzama – 11 points
- Jaylen Ford – 10 points
OSBA Men’s Quarterfinal 4: (3) Fort Erie RED vs. (6) Orangeville Prep
The third seed Fort Erie RED fought hard to secure a 77-72 victory over the sixth seed Orangeville Prep in the 2023 OSBA men’s Final 8 tournament quarterfinals.
Fort Erie got up to a commanding start after leading the first quarter by seven points and continued to press offensively to hold a single-digit lead at halftime. Despite trailing the entire first half, Orangeville fought back to equal the score late in the third quarter on a pair of Kevin De Kovachich free-throws.
Entering the fourth quarter, Orangeville trailed by only four points and continued to press, Orangeville guard Matai Baptiste scored 6 points late in the fourth, finishing with a game-high 24 points.
With only 45 seconds remaining and Fort Erie up 73-71, Diego Ramos was fouled late and sealed the victory after scoring two late free throws to put the game out of reach and finished with seven points, scoring five in the fourth to help give his team the win.
Fort Erie RED will face United Scholastic Academy in the semifinals at 6pm est. on March 4 at Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.
Top three scorers for Fort Erie RED
- Felix Kossaras – 17 points
- Chris Kumu – 17 points
- Oliver Faubert – 12 points
Top three scorers for Orangeville Prep
- Matai Baptiste – 24 points
- Jalik Dunkley-Distant – 19 points
- Kevin De Kovachich – 15 points
OSBA Men’s semifinals matchups
4pm: (1) Royal Crown Academy vs. (4) J. Addison School
6pm: (2) United Scholastic Academy vs. (3) Fort Erie RED
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