This week the OSBA offers three exciting matchups featuring league leaders across all divisions. In the Trillium Men’s West Division, Victory Academy faces a tough matchup against No. 1 Brampton City Prep (National) in this week’s first Game of the Week (GOTW) matchup. Adding to the night’s action is an OSBA Men’s East division meeting between the undefeated Royal Crown Lions (7-0) and Crestwood Preparatory College. The GOTW schedule finishes strong with a battle in the Women’s West Division between Orangeville Prep and King’s Christian on Thursday night.
Victory Academy enters the game at 2-6 and is ranked No. 7 in the West. Victory has excelled at stealing possessions this season, boasting three of the top ten league leaders in steals per game. Zohar Dhaliwal leads that group with 4.2 steals per game and was the team’s leading scorer in Victory’s last matchup against Brampton City Prep, scoring 12 points.
Brampton City Prep (BCP) enters this matchup ranked No. 1 in the West Division at 8-1. In BCP’s last game against Victory Academy back in December, they won 77-70. Leading scorer Jaiden Kandasamy had no problem getting to the basket that night, leading all players with 23 points. Kandasamy has been highly efficient on offence, ranking ninth in the league with 20.9 points per game.
Tuesday’s game features a key matchup between BCP’s top scorer, Kandasamy, and Victory’s defensive stalwart, Dhaliwal.
The Lions remain undefeated entering Tuesday’s matchup, boasting a 7-0 record after a decisive win last week against Lincoln Prep. Standout Xavier Istomin-Monroe played a key role in Crown’s win over the Huskies, dominating the paint and dropping 17 points in the process. Royal Crown is still firmly at the top of the East Division and has won each of its games by six or more points.
Crestwood Prep enters this game ranked fourth in the East Division with a 2-3 record. Crestwood has only lost one of its last three games, but will face its toughest matchup yet against Royal Crown. Christophe Tshibola has been heavily leaned on for offence this season, averaging 22.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. Tshibola, No. 2 on the OSBA Men’s MVP Watch list, could strengthen his resume even further with a win against the undefeated Lions.
Tshibola’s scoring prowess faces a big challenge against Crown’s team defence. Can Crestwood pull off the upset, or will Crown continue move to 8-0 and stay undefeated?
Orangeville Prep comes into Thursday night’s matchup ranked No. 3 in the West Division, holding a 4-2 record. With Cameron McMaster and Ayla Corrigale ranked No. 8 and No. 10 on the OSBA Women’s MVP watch list, this team has plenty of offensive firepower. Both McMaster and Corrigale average at least 15 points per game, making Orangeville difficult to defend on any given night.
King’s Christian aims to avenge its narrow 85-83 loss to Orangeville Prep in December. Christian enters this game with a 4-3 record and is ranked just behind Orangeville in the standings at No. 4. Carletta Bennett has been impressive on offence this season as the league’s fifth-leading scorer, averaging 17.4 points per game. Bennett also contributes an average of 8.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, all of which has landed her as the current No. 5 in the OSBA Women’s MVP watch list.
Thursday’s game is a key matchup for both teams who are trying to improve their position in the Women’s West Division. With the No. 5 and No. 8 leading scorers facing off against one another, this matchup promises plenty of offence.
Fans and supporters are encouraged to tune in to OSBA TV on YouTube to catch all the action live.