In a Friday night thriller, the Canton girls varsity basketball team beat Hammond to win the Overall Sectional title for the second year in a row. The 74-58 victory came to the Bears as they beat the Devils 27-10 in the fourth quarter to secure the win. This was the team’s 25 win in a row against Section X teams, ending Hammond’s streak of 23 victories. The team success came from many members of the 17 person squad executing their role perfectly.
The Bears came out slow in the first quarter, a bit of a recent pattern in their play, yet were holding the 30-27 lead at half. This lead was not indicative of the momentum however, Hammond scored six points to end the half and beat the Bears in the third quarter to hold a one point lead going into the final quarter. The final eight minutes were some of the Golden Bears’ best play this season. The Devils found themselves in foul trouble and Canton quickly took advantage of this. Strong defense led to many fast break layups and when not in transition Canton moved the ball against their zone to open up the middle. The success early in the fourth swung the momentum and Canton was able to cruise to victory.
The honor of winning an overall title comes with the privilege to cut down the net at the end of competition. The feeling of cutting the twine was indescribable for many of the players, especially the seniors.
Senior captain Sarah Sieminski said, “[It] Just feels great after all these years of hard work, that it has paid off for our team. So proud of the way we played tonight against a team who had won 23 in a row.”
Sieminski scored 22 for Canton and Katie Chisholm scored 25. Post player Emily Wentworth played an exceptional game under the net, she scored 10 points and added countless rebounds and steals. Her tenacity was a spark for the rest of Canton’s team. Canton was pleased to win in Maxcy one more time and are excited to get back on the court with new confidence after this win. On Tuesday the Bears will play at Saratoga high school against the winner of Section II at 7 P.M. Go Bears!
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