By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Niagara Knights men's basketball programme got off to a successful start in exhibition play to set the tone for a promising 2017-18 campaign.

With several Bahamian players on its roster for another season, the Knights captured the Dave Stewart Tip-Off Challenge hosted by Durham College.

For the second consecutive season, the Knights feature the Bahamian trio of Van Hutchinson Jr, Jordan Wilson and Kevin Cooper.

Wilson was named the tournament MVP and led the Knights to a perfect 3-0 record to take the tournament title and conclude the preseason.

The Knights scored an 84-77 win over the Centennial Colts in the opening round followed by an 89-67 win over the Fanshawe Falcons in the semi-final. In the final, they defeated the Durham Lords 85-71.

"The weekend was a good test as the tournament featured four OCAA West teams and four OCAA East teams. We played close to full strength this weekend and continued to see lots of good things as well as areas in need of improvement as we continue to discover our identity," said Knights men's basketball head coach Mike Hurley on the school's athletic website.

The Knights' attention will now shift to the 2017-18 regular season opener on Friday, October 20 when they host the Mohawk Mountaineers.

Last season, the Knights finished fourth in the Ontario Collegiate Athletic Association tournament and did not advance to the National Championship.

The Knights finished the three-day event in fourth place after losing in the bronze-medal game 82-79 to the Humber Hawks. They were forced to play without Hutchinson for the duration of the tournament after losing him to an ankle injury.

Hutchinson led the team in scoring at 14.6 points, 10 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Wilson averaged 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while Cooper averaged 4.4 points per game in limited minutes.

The team finished in second place in the OCAA West Division with a record of 13-3.

The Knights were also ranked No. 4 in the CCAA national rankings for the majority of the second half of the season. This season they will host the 2018 OCAA Championship March 1-3.

Over in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference, Samson Cleare is finally receiving his opportunity with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) Ooks.

After missing the preseason, Cleare appeared in the first two games of the regular season as the Ooks split a head-to-head matchup with the Concordia University of Edmonton.

In game one, Cleare finished with seven points and eight rebounds in a 78-74 loss and eight points with three rebounds in a 76-71 win.

Cleare was previously sidelined in order to qualify academically but is now an integral member of the Ooks rotation. Led by fellow Bahamian Jackson Jacob, the Ooks claimed the 2015 national championship tournament title but failed to qualify last season. NAIT lost in the semi-final of the ACAC conference tournament and was relegated to the consolation bracket.