By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE second half of the Canadian college basketball season tipped off last weekend and several Bahamian players returned to the court on positive notes.

The No.6 ranked Holland College Hurricanes and No.13 ranked Niagara Knights each took their first wins while the NAIT Ooks saw the return of their former MVP to begin 2018.

The Hurricanes opened 2018 with another blowout win, 104-61 over the Dalhousie Tigers. Roosevelt Whylly finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds.They followed with a 106-86 win over the Crandall Chargers.

The pair of wins improved the 'Canes record to 8-1 on the season which puts them in second place in the ACAA standings. They are just two points behind Mount Allison with the 'Canes having played one less game at this point in the season.

Several Bahamian players are on the roster for the Niagara Knights and they earned their first win of 2018 with an 81-69 win over the University of Toronto Mississauga Eagles.

With the win the Knights improved to 8-3 on the season while moving them in a tie with Humber for third place in the OCAA west division.

Van Hutchinson Jr nearly notched a triple double with 16 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and four steals. Kevin Cooper came off the bench to add 10 points and seven rebounds.

The Knights' offence found their answer in the fourth, outscoring the Eagles 33-20, leading the program to the commanding win.

"I liked how our team responded trailing at start the fourth quarter" said Knights' head coach Mike Hurley. "We came together as a group and found our scoring touch when it mattered."

In the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference, Samson Cleare is finally receiving his opportunity with the No. 15 Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) Ooks and making the most of his time on the floor while Jackson Jacob is back with the programme.

Cleare finished with 14 points and eight rebounds in the Ooks' 81-78 win over the Concordia Thunder. Cleare is averaging 10.6 points and seven rebounds per game this season.

The Ooks are currently second in the ACAC North Division with a record of 8-4.

After missing last semester, Jacob has returned to help the team make a run at another national title. In 2015, he went on to win ACAC Rookie of the Year honours and the national championship.

He averaged 29 points per game in the 2016-2017 season.

The Ooks guard was unable to get into the fall intake for the Auto Repair program and instead got in to the winter term