TORONTO, Ont. – After a magical regular season and their first-ever playoff win, the Ridgebacks men's basketball program's best year has ended with a 59-54 loss in the OUA quarter-finals to the Toronto Varsity Blues.

Toronto came into the game hot, with Callum Baker scoring 9 points in the opening moments, while the Ridgebacks had yet to find a consistent source of offense. Ontario Tech would eventually find their footing offensively late in the quarter, led by Zubair Seyed's (Cambridge, Ont.) 17 points, six rebounds, five assists, and one steal.

The Ridgebacks ended the first half trailing by nine points but clawed back into the game in the third quarter as their signature tough-nosed defence began to come to life.

Levi Ogbonna (Toronto, Ont.) had 10 points, three rebounds, and three assists, while Caleb Kassa (Brampton, Ont.) added eight points and eight rebounds off the bench, and the Ridgebacks would find a 45-42 lead with just under two minutes left in the third quarter.

The two teams battled hard in the fourth quarter, with Varsity Blues star Callum Baker struggling to deal with the Ridgeback's defence, but Toronto would find a lead behind contributions from Noah Ngamba, who had 11 points, two blocks and two steals, and Ryan Rudnick who hit several big shots and had nine points off the bench. 

Seyed would hit a crucial three-point shot in the final moments as the Ridgebacks searched for a way to even the game in the final moments, but a fading shot from Ngomba put the Varsity Blues up four, and a bobbled handoff led to an over-and-back call that all but sealed the game for the Varsity Blues.