Tavonn Mars-Buckley scored a game-high 22 points on Saturday, but it wasn’t quite enough as Centennial Colts basketball team lost its season opener, 75-67, to the Seneca Sting, in OCAA play.

The second-year guard was solid in both parts of the game, adding four steals.

Teammate Abdalmuhaymin Sudani contributed a near double-double with eight points and nine rebounds, along with two steals and two blocks.

For the Sting, Jerron Alexander and Ryan Brooks each posted 12 points and nine rebounds, while Seneca’s bench outscored Centennial’s 45-28, providing the necessary firepower to secure the victory.

Seneca was more dominant than the score suggested, leading by three at the half, and eight after three quarters. Colts closed to within five halfway through the final period but quickly fell back 15 points.

The Colts faced early difficulties by picking up nine team fouls in the first quarter, with first-year forward O’Neil Turton quickly earning three of them.

By the end of the game, Centennial had committed 33 fouls compared to Seneca’s 22, giving the Sting an 18-free-throw advantage, which ultimately shifted the game in their favour.

Frustration was there for the Colts as many 50/50 calls didn’t go their way, further adding to their struggles. Both Turton and Malik Taylor-Williams received technical fouls during the game.

“It’s the first game of the year, so refs are going to feel out both teams on who’s the main players, who’s guys that really force actions,” said Centennial head coach Michael Jackman. “They’re gonna clean up their calls in terms of understanding how we play in our style of basketball, so calls could have went either way.

“I just think it was our level of maturity when calls didn’t go away that we didn’t handle really well, we’ll preach and teach about not worrying about those 50/50 calls and just keep playing basketball because the next possession up.”

Colts trailed by eight with less than a minute before halftime after two consecutive three-point shooting fouls.

However, Mars-Buckley had a momentum sequence before the break. First, he drained a three, then made a steal and finished with a one-man fast-break dunk that electrified the packed crowd at the Athletic and Wellness Centre in Scarborough, cutting the deficit to just three heading into the locker room.

“That’s the reigning Rookie of the Year,” said Jackman. “There’s a lot of expectations on him to perform well and to score at high numbers at times. That sequence was a momentum swinger for us.

Mars-Buckley averaged 17.4 points for the Colts last season.

However, the Colts couldn’t carry that momentum into the second half, allowing a 9-2 run and giving up seven points and five rebounds to Alexander in the third quarter. Rebounding became the key storyline of the game, particularly in the third, where the Colts were out-rebounded 14 to seven.

Seneca capitalized on their dominance on the glass and second-chance points, seizing control of the game and extending their lead to 52-44 heading into the final 10 minutes.

Sting went on a 12-2 run midway through the fourth quarter, extending their lead to 15, which was the largest of the game. The 2017-2018 National Champion maintained control the rest of the way, securing the victory.

Despite a tough start to the season, Coach Jackman still saw positives in the performance by one of the seven rookies on his squad.

“Khane (Simon-Caesar) performed really well, especially defensively. He’s a pest on defence and knows what to do offensively at times. He’s still learning, but for his first year, I’m really impressed with how he played,” Jackman said about the Toronto native guard, who came off the bench to contribute six points, four assists, and two steals.

The Colts will look to get their first win of the season this coming Saturday and host the  Algonquin Wolves, who finished last season with a 4-14 record and were second to last in the East Division.