CHS boys’ hoop team dominates 1st place Sharon

Senior captain Sam Larson made his case for league MVP Friday night. (Mike Barucci photo)

Avenging an earlier loss to rival Sharon, the Canton High boys’ basketball team won its sixth straight game Friday night with an impressive and dominating 97-71 win over the first-place Eagles (12-5) in the CHS gym.

With the victory, the Bulldogs reached the all-important 10-win mark, thus assuring themselves of a spot in the upcoming Division 2 south sectional tournament. It is also conceivable that they could secure a home playoff game if they are able to finish strong over the final three games of the regular season.

Either way, the run this team has put together over the past few weeks has been nothing short of remarkable, especially considering they were once 4-7 and in danger of missing the playoffs altogether.

On Friday, the Bulldogs turned in arguably their best performance of the season, highlighted by outstanding teamwork, tight defense, and great execution on offense. The game was tight early, but Canton surged ahead in the second quarter to take a commanding 41-25 lead and continued to pour it on after halftime.

It was a highlight game for the starters and particularly for senior captain Sam Larson, who further strengthened his case for league MVP with an amazing 36-point performance, highlighted by many coast-to-coast drives, steals, dunks, and rebounds. Larson now needs 59 points over the final three games to reach 1,000 points for his high school career.

Senior point guard Ato Botsio also had a big night against Sharon, scoring a career-high 23 points to go along with several steals and rebounds.

Tristin Morris came back from a wrist injury to regain his shooting touch, finishing with 16 points, including two three-point shots. Matt Kelley continued his consistency from downtown with four three-pointers, the first of which ignited the student crowd following three-plus minutes of eerie silence.

The Canton fans’ refusal to cheer early on was all part of the annual “Silent Night” tradition, in which students come dressed in costume and do not applaud until a certain designated time. Gordy said he appreciated the efforts of the students, and at the end of the game he raised his hands and said thank you to the crowd.

Senior Scott Olshaker scored a career-high eight points and anchored the Bulldogs’ 1-3-1 defense with a couple of blocks and was active on the offensive and defensive boards.

After the game, Gordy said everyone who played had a role in the Bulldogs’ big win. He said the goal was to contain “Sharon’s great guards (Brian Mukasa and James Fritzon) and don’t panic when they made their shots.”

He said his starters are in “incredible condition,” which allowed them to go long minutes. “Our defense is propelling us,” Gordy said. “We are just peaking at the right time. The seniors are really stepping up.”

Earlier in the week against King Philip (6-9), the Bulldogs never trailed as they knocked off the Warriors on their home court 67-59. KP used a full-court press to narrow the lead to six points in the fourth quarter, but Canton continued its success from the free-throw line to secure the victory.

Tight defense by the Bulldogs led to good execution on offense, led by Kelley with 27 points, Larson with 24, including 13 for 13 on free throws, and Morris with 15 points.

“Our defense was phenomenal and made a big difference,” said Gordy. “They had a lot of trouble with our 1-3-1.”

Gordy gave a lot of the credit to Olshaker, who he described as the “backbone” of their defense. “He got in there and mixed it up,” he said. “He rebounded and did things to set the tone for us.”

The Bulldogs will close out the regular season this week with a home game on Tuesday against Stoughton, followed by road contests against Foxboro on Friday and Fairhaven on Sunday, February 16. The playoffs will begin after the February school vacation.

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