After defeating the Niagara Knights in the opening round of the playoffs, the Wolves were in Toronto on Sunday February 23rd to take on the Humber Hawks in the OCAA quarter final. The Wolves had a tall task ahead of them as the Hawks finished the season with a 18-0 record and ranked #1 in the country.
The Wolves were keeping up with the Hawks early on, managing to out work them on a few possessions leading to 2nd chances, but they struggled to convert their opportunities and the game was tied at 7 with just over 6 minutes to go in the quarter. Unfortunately for the Wolves, foul trouble got the better of them in the 2nd half of the period. The Wolves were called for 9 personal fouls leading to 15 free throws for Humber and a 28-11 deficit after the 1st quarter.
The 2nd quarter was back and forth. Humber managed to maintain their advantage taking a 19 point lead going into the half. Not a lot went right for Algonquin in the 1st half. Simon Desta was the exception, the 5th year guard made his best attempt to will his team back into it with 10 points in the 2nd quarter and 12 points in the half.
Knowing their season was on the line, the Wolves came out of the locker room with a different energy. Fueled by Ted Braden's size inside and their defensive intensity, they managed to cut the lead to 13 with 8:47 left to go in the 3rd. The Hawks however would answer with a run of their own to push the lead back up to 20. The teams would trade punches the rest of the way. The Wolves were unable to overcome their poor start and ultimately fell 98-67 at the hands of the Hawks. Albert Opena, Tesloch Luk and Simon Desta each finished with 12 points. 5th year forward Chris Lachapelle left it all on the floor. Lachapelle is undersized for the position he plays, but what he gives up in height he makes up for in heart. He finished with 9 points and 8 rebounds. Ted Braden also finished with 9 points and 8 boards.
After a tough season in 2023-24 that saw the Wolves miss the playoffs, this year added some fresh air to the Wolves men's basketball program. A 12-6 regular season record saw them finish 4th in the East and host a home playoff game for the 1st time since the 2022 season. Wolves fans were treated to some special moments throughout the year, including Simon Desta claiming the top spot on the Algonquin scoring list, an 18 point 4th quarter comeback over Loyalist, some electric dunks from Tesloch Luk, Ted Braden and Haven Holder, a dominant playoff performance over Niagara and many more. We would like to take a moment to thank our graduating seniors for their valuable contributions to the program over the years. To the returning players, we look forward to seeing you back on the floor next season.