Boys’ hoop fends off Abington in D3 south opener

Junior Sam Larson was named to the All-Hockomock first team. (Mike Barucci photo)

Update: Junior captain Sam Larson and the CHS boys’ hoop team gave it their all but came up short against No. 5 Norton Wednesday night, falling 55-39 in the second round of the Division 3 south sectionals.

In a noisy and hostile climate, the CHS boys’ basketball team fended off a furious Abington comeback and held on in the final seconds for a 62-60 win Monday night.

The win qualified as a major upset, as the Bulldogs, seeded 21^st in the 22-team Division 3 south bracket, knocked off the 12^th seeded Green Wave (13-7) on their home court. The Canton win set up a showdown with No. 5 Norton on Wednesday night, with the victor moving on to face the winner of the Rockland-Westwood game on Friday, March 1.

Heroes were aplenty for the Bulldogs as the team converted 10 three pointers. Junior captain and team scoring leader Sam Larson finished with 20 points, including 12 in the second half. Fellow captain Tristin Mullen was equally impressive, scoring 19 points with five threes, including an amazing shot from beyond half court to end the first quarter, and junior Matt Kelley added 17 points with four three pointers to go along with great defense.

Although he only scored four points, senior captain Andrew Mansfield blocked five shots and grabbed several key rebounds late in the game. Senior Dexter Green scored two, but he had a key steal and assist at the end of the game. Green, usually a forward, played point guard for much of the game and successfully brought the ball up the floor despite an Abington hard press. Sophomore guard Paul Swart also played well in the win.

Mullen’s half-court heave gave Canton some much-needed momentum at the end of the first quarter and a 16-15 lead. Canton pushed the lead to six at halftime and 11 at the end of three, but Abington refused to quit, causing several Canton turnovers and using its height and speed to take a 61-59 lead with just under two minutes to go in the game.

After a Kelley layup gave the Bulldogs a one-point edge, Abington had two chances to go ahead, but Mansfield blocked one attempt and rebounded a miss on the other. Kelley then hit a free throw to give Canton a two-point lead and also came up with a key steal. Larson was fouled on the play with under two seconds remaining, but he missed the free throw, giving Abington one last chance to win the game. The Green Wave missed the long three-point attempt and Canton walked off with a hard-earned win.

After the game, CHS head coach Ryan Gordy said facing Rockland last year in a similar environment gave them much-needed experience that helped them Monday night.

He cited Mullen’s “game of his life,” Kelley’s hot shooting, great team defense down the stretch, and “just a lot of heart and playing together as a team” as keys to the victory. “This is a resilient group,” he said. “They don’t give up easily. I was really happy to see many players play well despite their first game in a state playoff atmosphere.”

Larson said he loved playing in a hostile atmosphere and said he was proud of how the team kept its composure in the late stages of the game. “This was a total team effort,” added Mullen. “We didn’t give up.”

In other action last week, CHS finished the regular season on a down note, falling to Sharon 70-44. Kelley led the Bulldogs with 17 points, followed by Ato Botsio with nine and Larson with seven.

The Bulldogs did, however, receive three awards from the Hockomock League as Larson was named a first-team all star; Mansfield was named a second-team all star; and the team earned the league’s Good Sportsmanship Award. “We are very excited about this award,” said Gordy. “It shows we are running the program in the right way. The kids have responded the right way to opponents [and] the referees, respecting them in a classy manner.”

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