Playoff Preview: No. 10 Mountaineers, No. 4 Saints meet in playoffs for first time in 29 years

HAMILTON, Ont. – The No. 10 Mohawk Mountaineers men's basketball team will face the No. 4 St. Clair Saints on Friday in an OCAA semifinal matchup between two nationally ranked programs.

The conference championship weekend will be hosted by St. Clair in Windsor, Ont., setting up a semifinal against the host Saints. Mohawk finished the regular season third in the West Division, while St. Clair secured the top spot.

PLAYOFF RECAP
The Mountaineers advanced with a 99-92 overtime win over the East Division's second-seeded Centennial Colts in the quarterfinals last weekend. Mohawk led by 19 points after the first quarter but saw the lead disappear late in the fourth. The teams entered overtime tied 81-81 before a 9-0 run in the extra period lifted the Mountaineers to victory.

Mohawk has played two close games to open the playoffs, having defeated the Algonquin Wolves 86-79 in the qualifying round.

St. Clair narrowly escaped the East Division's fourth-seeded Seneca Sting in the quarterfinals. The Saints trailed by 11 points with 5:57 remaining but outscored Seneca 22-7 the rest of the way to secure a 93-89 victory.

In the qualifying round, St. Clair cruised past the St. Lawrence Surge 130-66.

HISTORICAL MATCHUP
Friday's contest will mark the first playoff meeting between Mohawk and St. Clair in 29 years. Despite sharing the inaugural OCAA championship in 1966-67, the teams have never met this deep in the playoffs.

Their most recent postseason matchup came in 1996-97 in a West Region semifinal. Previous playoff meetings include a quarterfinal in 1982-83, West Division championship games in 1974-75 and 1975-76, and a best-of-three West Division series in 1973-74. Mohawk holds a narrow 4-3 edge in the all-time playoff series.

The teams split their regular-season meetings this year, with Mohawk earning an 87-80 home victory in November before St. Clair responded with a 93-77 win in January. Since the 2015-16 season, the Saints hold a 10-9 edge in the regular-season head-to-head series.

2025-26 PLAYOFF LEADERS
Mohawk Mountaineers
Points: Marko Dosen & Jerry Jr. Mercury – 16.5
Rebounds: Jerry Jr. Mercury – 6.5
Assists: Iverson Chong – 5.5
Steals: Dante Richards & Jerry Jr. Mercury – 2.5
Threes: Dante Richards – 2.5

St. Clair Saints
Points: Mazin Tiea – 20.5
Rebounds: Brandon Harmon – 8.0
Assists: Andrew Loyuk & Jacob Masters – 6.0
Steals: Kyle Brown-Fazekas – 3.5
Threes: Kyle Brown-Fazekas & Jacob Masters – 3.0

Details:
Friday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m.
South Campsu Sportsplex | St. Clair College | Windsor, Ont.
Live Stats | Watch

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Satbir Singh
Manager, Sports Marketing, Communications & Fan Engagement
satbir.sing6@mohawkcollege.ca

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Players Mentioned

#3 Iverson Chong: PG; 5' 11"; Junior

#17 Marko Dosen: F; 6' 8"; Senior

#2 Dante Richards: G; 5' 10"; Senior

#13 Jerry Jr. Mercury: G/F; 6' 4"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#3 Iverson Chong
: 5' 11"; Junior
: PG

#17 Marko Dosen
: 6' 8"; Senior
: F

#2 Dante Richards
: 5' 10"; Senior
: G

#13 Jerry Jr. Mercury
: 6' 4"; Senior
: G/F