Canton 6th grade girls win Division 1 hoops state title
By Canton Citizen
(Front row, l-r) Morgan Quinn, Carly Fitzgerald, Annie Hoban, Talya DeGraw; (back row, l-r) coach Brian Cerruti, Tess Khoury, Fay Gallery, Brie Wesner, Kiara Cerruti, Hadley Rhodes, Sydney Gallery, coach Michelle Gallery
The Canton sixth grade girls basketball team followed up a truly remarkable season with a historic finish, capturing the Division 1 state crown at last weekend’s Massachusetts State Tournament at Governor’s Academy in Byfield.
The Canton girls, led by coaches Michelle Gallery and Brian Cerruti, went 4-0 at the two-day tournament, bringing their final season record to a near-perfect 27-1. The squad also appeared in the state tournament last year as fifth graders, making them the first Canton girls team to play in back-to-back Division 1 state tournaments. Their state title victory was the first for any team in the history of the Canton program.
On Saturday Canton easily defeated South Shore League champion Braintree 46-26, then beat a Raynham team (36-28) that they had lost to in the 2015 state finals.
Canton then had to face Braintree again on Sunday, and the rematch proved to be a far greater challenge. Aided by a resurgent defense, Braintree stormed back from a 24-15 halftime deficit and went ahead by one with only 10 seconds remaining. But Canton kept its cool and ultimately sealed the win on a pair of free throws by Kiara Cerruti, who was fouled as she attempted a layup on a breakaway.
The win over Braintree propelled Canton into the state championship game, setting up a rematch against a Franklin team that had beaten them only one week earlier in the regular season semifinals. In that game, two of Canton’s top scorers, Cerruti and Fay Gallery, landed themselves in foul trouble in the first half. Franklin went on to win the game 31-27 despite a monster outing from Canton’s Sydney Gallery (20 points).
The state finals showdown was an entirely different story, however, as Canton turned to a zone defense for the first time all season and executed it to perfection, holding Franklin to just five total points in the second half and winning in a rout 37-17.
The newly crowned state champs finished their season with an overall record of 27-1. Coaches Gallery and Cerruti could not have been prouder, and their opponents were thoroughly impressed, calling the Canton Class of 2022 the “team to watch” in upcoming seasons.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=32876
Posted by Canton Citizen
on Mar 24 2016. Filed under Sports, Youth Sports.
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