The St. Clair Saints men's basketball team went right down to the wire against the Lambton Lions, but pulled away with the nailbiter 90-88 victory to advance to the finals of the OCAA championship and also punch their ticket to nationals.
The second semi-final on Saturday evening showcased a Southwestern Ontario rivalry as the hometown favourites and 2022 OCAA and CCAA runner-up Saints (16-3) defended their home court against the pesky Lions (11-9).
The nationally ranked #4 Saints swept the two regular season contests between the West Division foes, winning two tight contests on their way to their first West Division championship in 21 years.
It wasn't always pretty but when the going got tough, Shak Pryce was the steadying hand that his team needed leading to player of the game honours.
The Lions came out shooting hot but couldn't sustain enough shot making down the stretch allowing St. Clair to put the game away late from the foul line to escape with the victory.
With the win, St. Clair has guaranteed themselves entry into the 2023 CCAA Men's Basketball National Championship as well as advancing to the OCAA gold medal game on their homecourt.
The gold medal match showcases the number three and four ranked teams in Canada, as the Saints play host to the George Brown Huskies for the right to call themselves the 2023 Men's Basketball Champions.
The game is set to tip-off at 3:30 p.m. in front of a raucous St. Clair crowd.