Huskies defeat Durham Lords 77-69 in a victorious return to the Casa Loma gym
The Huskies men’s basketball team defeated the Durham Lords 77-69 in the home opener at the Casa Loma gym on Oct. 24. Photo: Thomas Chung / George Brown College
It was Jordan Marlowe’s showcase.
The George Brown Huskies basketball guard tied with fellow guard Dejazmatch James to score a team high of 16 points, leading the Huskies to a solid 77-69 win over Durham College.
This now gives them their second consecutive win. Durham hit some tough shots to pull the game as close as they could, but lacked communication and made costly mistakes in the fourth quarter ultimately costing them the game.
The Huskies started off strong by going on a 15-2 run in the first quarter, not allowing a bucket up until the five-minute mark. Followed by a great fluid offence and consistent fast-break decisions that saw the Huskies lead grow to 25-8 at the end of the first quarter.
A slow start in the second quarter allowed Durham to go on a run, with George Brown barely leading 33-32 at halftime.
“It was a good game we got off to a really strong start,” said Marlowe. “There were mental lapses in the second quarter and that’s why it was near tied at halftime, but overall we stayed level headed and kept it cool under pressure. We believed in ourselves and the coach’s system. That’s why we were able to win,”
Jonathan Smith, head coach of the men’s basketball team, emphasized making good decisions in their time-outs, but this young team still has a lot to learn from their experienced coach as the season develops.
“You know what? It’s been two games in a row that we’ve been up early, and in this game we let them come back. We have a lot of rookies, six or seven, so we’re still learning as we’re going along,” said Smith.
Marlowe spoke of getting more comfortable with his team as the season progressed, and that comfort was on full display as he scored 16 points, was 7 for 13 in shooting, had five assists and three steals turning a close fourth quarter into an 8-point win. Six of his 16 points came within closing minutes with the score 61-54 stretching the lead to 67-54.
“Jordan is a great kid. He’s a fourth-year (student), he understands the game, his biggest thing is now learning about his teammates, where they like having the ball and where their sweet spots are,” said Smith. “I thought today in the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth he played phenomenal, and he got to the rim easily quite a few times.”
Coach Smith strongly feels that the Huskies transition offense is potent and tough to beat as long as the players remember to use it more consistently.
“We’re happy, we’re young, plus we also have a big Ottawa trip next week so we’re excited,” said Smith “Right now, 2-0 , I love it. I think this year in the east anyone can beat anybody; Fleming beat Centennial the other night which is not usual so anything can happen.”
