St. Clair Saints look forward to hosting the OCAA men’s basketball championship

By Kameron Seguin & Jessie Larouche

The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) championship is taking place in Saints nation this weekend.

St. Clair College will be hosting the OCAA Men’s Basketball Championship tournament from Friday, March 3 to Sunday, March 5, with the top eight teams from the east and west ready to battle it out. Not only will the winning team win the OCAA championship, but they will have a chance to contend for the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) championship in Calgary.

Last year, the Saints made it to the gold medal game but fell to Humber 101-94. This year, they have been on a tear hoping to redeem themselves. They are coming into the tournament on a nine game winning streak, and the team is excited to be playing in front of their fans for the entire playoffs.

“Home court advantage means everything to us,” said Tutu Jangati, a freshman guard entering his first tournament. “Playing at home with the crowd on your side is definitely a huge plus and we plan on using it to our advantage.”

Jangati said all their hard work will culminate this weekend at the SportsPlex.

“Going into these playoffs, I’m extremely confident in myself and my teammates,” said Jangati. “We have been working every day since September for this moment and plan to enjoy every moment of it.”

The college’s director of Athletics and Recreation, Christina Gatto, said this event will have a large impact on St. Clair.

“Hosting this tournament gives us a great opportunity to show off our facilities,” said Gatto. “It also allows us to showcase the high level of basketball we have at St. Clair.”

The Saints begin their quest for a championship Friday night at 8 p.m. against league MVP Ladera Ujullu-Obang and the Conestoga Condors.