Backed by Rayvon Higdon's 41 points, the Redeemer Royals advanced to the OCAA Men's Basketball Semi Finals with a 104-89 victory over the Lambton Lions. The Royals move on to their first ever Semi Final in program history and will face the winner of the George Brown Huskies, Humber Hawks quarterfinal. 

After a tense first half that saw the Lions lead Redeemer by 8 points going into the break, the Royals turned it on in the 2nd half, leaving no doubt as to why they are the top team from the West. 

The win against the Lions was their 3rd of the season, winning two regular season matches and today's quarterfinal. 

The Royals trailed at the half 54-46 before taking over the game in the 3rd quarter. Outscoring the Lions 30-19 in the 3rd, Redeemer opened up a lead that they never relinquished. Redeemer sealed the game early in the 4th before going on to outscore their opponent 28-16. 

"It was a tale of two halves today," said Royals' head coach Jamie Girolametto. "We couldn't get settled in the first half, giving up easy baskets and missing open assignments. In the second half, we changed our tempo and started to play full court defense, taking the Lions out of their offensive rhythm."

Newly appointed All-Canadian and OCAA Player of the Year, Rayvon Higdon, was as good as advertised during today's match. Ray had 41 points, including 27 in the second half alone. 

OCAA West Defensive Player of the Year, Foster Brown, added 17 points for the Royals while Spencer Kerssies chipped in with 16. 

The players of the match for game 1 were Redeemer's Rayvon Higden and Lambton's Branden Padgett.

Throughout the game, Redeemer's fans could be heard as the stands were painted red. "We have the best fans in the OCAA," said Royals' guard Rayvon Higdon. "I believe having them up there supporting our guys gave us that extra boost in the second half."

The Royals will now await the winner of the match between the George Brown Huskies and the Humber Hawks. The match will take place at Niagara on Friday night at 6pm.