TICATS ADVANCE WITH 48-8 WIN OVER LIONS IN EASTERN SEMIFINAL

HAMILTON – Jeremiah Masoli threw three first-half TDs to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to a lopsided 48-8 East Division semifinal win over the B.C. Lions on Sunday afternoon.

Hamilton advances to the East Division final next Sunday against Ottawa at TD Place. The Redblacks swept the regular-season series 3-0.

Masoli, the East Division nominee for the CFL’s outstanding player award, helped Hamilton emphatically snap a three-game losing streak. The Ticats were the last team to reach the East final after losing their final three regular-season games, doing so in 2015.

Masoli finished 14-of-19 passes for 259 yards and three TDs before giving way to Dane Evans in the fourth.

B.C. reached the East Division playoffs as a crossover team after finishing fourth in the West with a 9-9 record. But the Lions ended their season with three straight losses, an unceremonious end to head coach Wally Buono’s illustrious CFL career.

The 40-point playoff loss was also the worst in Lions’ history. No crossover team has reached the Grey Cup since the rule was adopted in 1996.

(The Canadian Press)