Boys’ hoop team nets overtime win

It was a mixed week for the 2-7 CHS boys’ basketball team with an exciting overtime win at home over Southeastern Regional Vo-Tech and hard-fought losses to North Attleboro and Stoughton.

Canton scored its highest point total offensively with an 83-80 win over Southeastern but fell to North Attleboro 56-42 and to Stoughton 61-51.

“We are getting better on offense, but we are still learning about each other,” said CHS coach Mike Devoll.

Sophomore players Scott Levy, Joe McCabe, Chris Murray and Colby Gavigan have been playing well, and Devoll has been mixing them in with shooting forward and team-leading scorer Dan Boivert, senior guard Marc Abelard, along with the inside work of senior forward Tyler Gavigan, center A.J. Nicols and reserve center and forward Zia Wiggins.

The offense has ranged in productivity and has been idle at times while the team defense has been overall sound but prone to lapses in defending the three-point shot.

“In close games we still have a lot of issues getting over the hump and getting that consistency,” Devoll said.

In one of the most exciting games of the season, Colby Gavigan’s steal and driving layup with less than a minute left in overtime and Tyler Gavigan’s free throw with three seconds left in the game was the difference for Canton in a win over SVT. Nichols had a strong game with 22 points, including many offensive rebounds. Aiding the offense were Tyler Gavigan and Abelard, each with 14 points, and Wiggins, who came off the bench to score eight.

With Levy at point guard, Canton jumped to a 47-34 halftime advantage, led by Nichols with 12 points and Tyler Gavigan and Boivert with nine apiece.

SVT rebounded early in the third quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs 13-0 in about three minutes of play, but the lead seesawed back and forth in the latter stages of the game. SVT pulled ahead by four points with 1:43 to go in the game, but four free throws by Tyler Gavigan tied it up with .54 seconds left in the game. Canton had a chance to win it in the last 20 seconds but missed a free throw.

In overtime, SVT pulled ahead by four with 1:21 left, but Nichols rescued the Bulldogs with an inside drive and an Abelard drive with a great assist from McCabe tied the game at 80 with 1:11 to go. Canton played some great defense with Colby Gavigan coming through with a big steal and drive.

In the Stoughton loss, the Black Knights used their height and rebounding advantage along with three-point shooting by guard Kris Joyce (20 points) to pull ahead in the fourth quarter.

Both teams were ice cold in the first quarter, each scoring six points, and the game was still a defensive struggle at halftime, with Stoughton holding a 21-20 advantage.

Stoughton led 30-26 with four minutes remaining in the third quarter, when Levy came out with an ankle injury.

Nichols answered with some inside baskets, but the Black Knights increased their lead to 40-33. Canton got as close as five points thanks to baskets by Abelard and Tyler Gavigan with 6:38 left in the game. But then Joyce went on a nine-point scoring spree with four consecutive baskets and Stoughton led 52-38 with 4:21 on the clock.

Tyler Gavigan was high man for Canton with ten points. Abelard and Nichols each had eight, and Wiggins added six. Levy played well prior to his injury, and McCabe showed his shooting potential with two long-range shots,

The North Attleboro game was another defensive battle until the Rocketeers’ three-point shooting proved to be the difference.

Canton’s next game is this Friday, January 15, at home against King Philip at 6:30 p.m. The Bulldogs will host Mansfield to start the second half of the season on Tuesday, January 19, with a special start time of 5:30 p.m. The team will play the next day at Southeastern Vo-Tech at 3:45 p.m.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Jan 14 2010. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.