OSHAWA, ON - The Durham College men's basketball team won their qualifier against the Conestoga Condors 86-70 to advance to the quarter-final stage of the 2024 OCAA Men's Basketball Championship.

Durham were on the board first with a layup scored by Rudy Fakih (Toronto, ON) in the opening minute, but the visiting Condors were excellent at keeping it close through the first 10 minutes in what was expected to be a lopsided affair. 

The first quarter was the highest scoring of any of the four, with the Lords and Condors combining for 46 points as Durham took a 26-20 lead into the second quarter.

Kevin Hamlet (Scarborough, ON) needed only nine minutes of action to enter double-digit territory on the board with 11 points in the first. He added another eight in the second frame as the Lords began to create separation on the scoreboard. Scoring another 24 points, the Lords played a suffocating style of defence as they forced the Condors to shoot 6-for-22 in the second.

The Lords added to their lead in the third quarter before before focusing on a defensive game in the fourth. Conestoga could not cut their deficit by much but respectably stayed within a reasonable distance until the end where the Lords would ultimately win by 16-points.

O'Shane Taylor-Douglas (Scarborough, ON) recorded his first triple-double of the season with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Jasean Elliott (Toronto, ON) had himself a double-double, registering 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Hamlet was the team-leader in points with 22, falling one rebound short of a double-double with nine. Kanskie Simon (Pickering, ON) made great use of his time on the floor, scoring six points and grabbing a rebound and an assist in nine minutes of play.

Fakih saw over half an hour worth of minutes for the fourth time this season, putting up 12 points, six rebounds and assisting twice.

As the top ranked team in the field, the quarter-final will be played on home court on Saturday, February 24 at 4:00 PM against the Seneca Sting. This will be their third meeting of the season, with the Lords picking up wins at Seneca in November by a 68-50 score and again at home in January 85-68.

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