Momentum starting to swing for CHS girls basketball

The Canton High girls basketball team had a tremendous week, earning its first two wins of the season and coming close in another contest against a tough league opponent. The team is now 2-7 as it approaches the midway point of the regular season.

Senior captain Meaghan Hunter (Mike Barucci photo)

The most impressive game of the week came at home against Sharon Friday night as the lady Bulldogs stormed back from a near 30-point deficit to win by two, 43-41.

The deficit was still in double digits at the end of the third quarter, but the Bulldog defense was outstanding down the stretch, holding Sharon to just six points in the entire fourth quarter.

Meghan Hunter and Emma Murphy led the offense with 17 and 13 points, respectively, and nearly all of their points came in the fourth quarter. Shannon Foley was another big contributor for the Bulldogs, producing several steals and playing great defense on Sharon’s leading scorer while also running the offense from the point.

Head coach Jim Choquette said the key to the Sharon win was the team cutting down on its turnovers. “We had 15 or 16 by the half and maybe only one in the fourth quarter,” he said. “Once we had stability and control of the ball, our defense and rebounding took over. Our bench and our fans were really into the comeback. The gym was rocking.”

Choquette said the team’s defense has been solid all season, allowing an average of about 40 points per game. “If we have stats like that and we control our turnovers, we are going to be in every game,” he said.

Earlier last week, the Canton girls rode a strong second half performance to their first win of the season — 46-30 over Blackstone-Millville Regional. Hannah Jerrier led the offense with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Hunter chipped in with eight points, including two threes. Forward Maggie Connolly scored her first varsity points in the win, and Casey Shea blocked four shots.

Choquette credited the team defense in the comeback and praised the play of seniors Hunter, Foley, Hannah Jankowski, and Maria Ruggeri.

The following night, Canton hosted three-time league champion North Attleboro and ended up on the wrong side of a 50-38 final despite multiple comeback attempts. The lady Bulldogs managed to tie the game at 32 in the final seconds of the third quarter, but the Rocketeers slowly increased their lead. Jerrier again led the team in scoring with 14 points while Shea added seven and Foley chipped in with five.

Hunter suffered an injury late in the game, and the team missed the play of Jess Powers, who is out with a stress fracture. Despite the loss, the team got a spark out of freshman Julia Hamilton, who scored several baskets and had a number of steals and rebounds, and junior Taylor Carrington, who pulled down several offensive rebounds.

The lady Bulldogs were due to travel to King Philip on Tuesday and will host Foxboro tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. The team will also host Attleboro on Tuesday, January 26, at 6:30 p.m.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Jan 22 2016. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.