Boys’ hoop team beats Attleboro for 3rd straight win

Junior captain Sam Larson scored 23 points to lead the Bulldogs past Attleboro. (Mike Barucci photo)

The CHS boys’ basketball team continued its recent resurgence with a 52-45, come-from-behind win over a good Attleboro team at home last Friday, January 4.

The Bulldogs are now 3-3 and have won three straight games, including back-to-back victories over nonleague Pembroke on December 28 and January 2. Friday night’s win came against a 4-3 Attleboro team that had previously beaten Stoughton, Durfee, and North Attleboro.

Junior Sam Larson, who finished with a team-high 23 points against Attleboro, hit two big three-pointers in the fourth quarter to ice the game for the Bulldogs.

However, part of the Canton comeback came with its star forward on the bench due to foul trouble. Down 29-22 at the half, Larson hit three free throws at the beginning of the third quarter and then left the game with Canton trailing 29-25.

The Bulldogs went on to outscore Attleboro 11-4 over the remainder of the quarter behind a unit of Matt Kelley, Dexter Green, Andrew Mansfield, Tristin Mullen, and Paul Swart.

Kelley, who finished with nine points, hit some key shots until Larson returned in the fourth quarter. Attleboro cut the deficit to three points at 39-36, but Larson responded with a steal, a layup and then a three pointer to help preserve the lead for Canton.

Green (six points) had some key steals, rebounds, and free throws down the stretch, and Mansfield (six points) added some blocks and rebounds, as well as a clinching layup that gave Canton a commanding nine-point lead. Mullen also contributed offensively, finishing with eight points.

After the game, Attleboro head coach Mark Houle said both teams played hard, but “Canton played with more passion and executed down the stretch better than we did.” Houle added that the Bulldogs are a “well-coached team that plays excellent defense.”

Canton head coach Ryan Gordy said the team’s improvement since its 44-point loss to Taunton in the season opener has been dramatic.

“From coaches to players, we learned a lot from Taunton and have grown dramatically in [our] trust in each other,” he said. “Our team slogan is climbing the ladder, and in each game we have certainly done that. I am proud of this team and their work on both sides of the court. We are a grind-it-out team with toughness, good defense, and patience on offense.”

Earlier in the week, Canton pounded Pembroke 50-30 in its first home game of the season — five days after beating the Titans on their home court by 16 points.

The Bulldogs won with a balanced scoring attack, led by Mullen with 11 points and Mansfield with 10. Green and Kelley both had eight points, Ato Botsio scored seven, and Larson added six. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 17-2 first quarter lead, pushed the lead to 29-11 at the half, and led 37-13 at the end of the third quarter.

The CHS gym was filled Friday night as all Canton youth teams were invited and two teams played in a short game at halftime.

The Bulldogs were due to host Davenport Division opponents Sharon on January 8 and Stoughton on January 11 and will travel to Franklin on Tuesday, January 15.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Jan 10 2013. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.