Malone 49, Canton 46
The Bears struggled on the offensive end in their contest against the Malone Huskies on Dec. 12. Their struggles ended up costing them, as they lost 49-46 and dropped their second straight game of the season.
Ryan Jones led the charge for the Bears on Monday night, scoring a game-high for the Bears, 14 points. Canton struggled to start the game, getting down nine points to two but then with a solid finish to the first quarter, they were able to battle back within two. Then throughout the game, it was back and forth. With both teams delivering blows the whole game. Finally, with a few minutes remaining in the game, starting point guard for Malone, Jayce Hammond scored six points in the last minutes of the game. And that proved to be the nail in the coffin for the Bears as Ryan Jones missed the game-tying three as time expired.
Massena 50, Canton 42
Canton dropped another league game on Dec. 15 night at home against the Massena Red Raiders. The Bears and the Raiders went back and forth the whole game, but eventually, Massena’s onslaught of shots and Canton’s lack of offense was what led to the loss.
Canton’s lack of offense has been the headline all season. And the issue isn’t getting the shots, it’s making them. The Bears went two for 20 from deep against the Raiders and with those types of numbers you are going to need a miracle to win. Canton only had one player score in double digits. Senior Guard Luke Wentworth had 13 points in the loss to Massena. A culmination of missed free throws by the Bears and good ball movement and shot-taking by the Raiders ultimately led to the loss for the Bears.
Saranac Lake 44, Canton 43
Canton lost their third consecutive game on Dec. 17 in Saranac Lake in heartbreaking fashion, losing to a shorthanded Red Storm team on a heavily contested buzzer-beater as time expired in Saranac Lake on Saturday.
Time after time the story keeps being about the Bears’ lack of offense but on this day it was really highlighted. Multiple players who are typically on the stat sheet filling it up were lackluster in the points column. Technical fouls also killed the Bears this game and ended up being the deciding factor in this close contest, with two players each getting one early in the game and basically handing four points over to the Red Storm. In yet another close game it looked like the Bears were going to get the win with multiple minutes left. They were up by seven points with little time left they let Saranac battle back and as Canton missed the game-winning free throws the Red Storm went down and drained a heavily contested three to win the game and deflated a struggling Canton team.
Plaindealer Sports 