Durham advances to the OCAA Championship
 
OSHAWA, Ont. – The Durham College men's basketball team qualified for next week's OCAA championship with a 81-71 road victory over the St. Clair Saints in the qualifying round of the OCAA playoffs.

The three-day tournament is scheduled to take place at Sheridan College from February 27-March 1 in Brampton. Durham will meet up against the undefeated and No. 2 ranked Algonquin Thunder in the opening round of the championship.
 
This year will be Durham's first appearance at the championship since 2011. It also marks the first time since 1997 that all four of the Durham College men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams qualified for their respective OCAA championships. 
 
Durham got off to a great start in their playoff match as they outscored the hosting Saints by 11 points in the opening half. Great team defence held St. Clair to just 25 points while shooting just 32 percent from the floor. After a Saints surge in the third quarter which shrunk Durham's lead to as low as five points, Eric Smith (Ajax, Ont.) put on a show in the fourth quarter scoring 13 of his 23 points to seal the trip to provincials.
 
Brandon Heath (Markham, Ont.) provided a spark for the Lords as he came up with eight rebounds, four steals and three assists while going 4-for-7 from the three-point line in a 14-point performance. Ajahmo Clarke (Ajax, Ont.) recorded a double-double as he led Durham's offence with 25 points while hauling in 14 boards, six of which were in the offensive zone.
 
After starting the season 1-6, it looked as if a berth in the OCAA elite eight was a pipe dream but the Lords closed out the regular season with a 9-4 run to qualify for the postseason and advance to the qualifying round.
 
Humber, Fanshawe and Seneca also won their qualifying games on Saturday while Mohawk, Algonquin, Sheridan and George Brown earned automatic byes into the championship.
 
Check www.durhamlords.com for all Durham College playoff information.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE LORDS
Overall Record: 15-13
Conference Record: 10-10

Next Game: OCAA Championship @ Sheridan College – Feb. 27-March 1