Boys’ basketball team edges Blue Hills for 2nd straight win
By Mike Berger
Senior captain Joe McCabe battles for the rebound. (Mike Barucci photo)
The Canton High boys’ basketball team won its second game of the season last week after edging cross-town opponent Blue Hills Regional 46-45 in the Warriors’ home gym on December 30.
The Bulldogs staged several rallies to win the game, including a 21-5 surge in the first half to put them up 25-15 at halftime. Blue Hills came back in the second half to take a 26-25 lead, but the Bulldogs staged another mini-rally to go up 34-28 at the end of the third quarter.
The Warriors came back again to tie the game at 36, but an Anthony Bires’ three-pointer and free throws by Joe McCabe and Sam Larson gave Canton a five-point lead with 12 seconds left in the game. A long three by Warrior guard Brandon Onychefule and a layup by Jamal Harris off a Canton turnover at the buzzer ended in a one-point victory for the Bulldogs.
McCabe led the visitors with 16 points, seven rebounds, and several assists. Larson added 14 points, and Bires came off the bench to score nine points on three three-point shots. Onychefule and Harris each had 14 points for Blue Hills, and Vincent Burton added 13 points.
The game posed an interesting challenge for the Bulldogs, who had to contain the height and strength of the Warrior frontcourt, led by Harris and Burton. Canton built an early lead on the strength of its defense and three-point shooting, but miscues by Canton and a rebounding advantage for the Warriors allowed Blue Hills to get back in the game.
Although pleased with the victory, Canton head coach Ryan Gordy said the matchup highlighted some of the team’s biggest weaknesses.
“In the second half we got killed on the glass,” he said. “We need to do a better job on rebounding. Also, we went in stretches where we didn’t execute our offense and our turnovers need to be fixed.”
Gordy praised the work of McCabe, who he said carried the team at times and was clutch from the free-throw line.
Gordy was also pleased with the contributions of several bench players, including Bires, Demitrius Jean, Tristen Mullen, and Andrew Mansfield, who contributed a few rebounds and blocks in his return from a season-opening injury.
The Bulldogs played their best basketball of the game in a six-minute stretch between the first and second quarters. The unit of McCabe, Larson, Scott Levy, Chris Murray, and Colby Gavigan, with Bires coming off the bench, combined good defense, rebounding and shooting into an explosive rally.
Warrior head coach Brian Gearty said that spurt by Canton in the first half was the difference maker.
“We were terrible in the first half,” he said. “We didn’t have the emotion we needed. We did much better in the second half.”
Blue Hills is now 3-2, having also lost a close game to Randolph. Both teams will see each other again when the Bulldogs host the Warriors on Monday, January 16, at CHS.
Now 2-1, Canton was due to face Southeastern Vo-Tech on January 3, followed by an away game Friday night versus Mansfield and a home game next Tuesday against North Attleboro.
In other team news, Gordy announced the addition of Derek Harris to the varsity squad in place of Jaden Mason, who is no longer with the team.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=10605
Posted by Mike Berger
on Jan 4 2012. Filed under High School, Sports.
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