In Canton on Tuesday evening, Canton 47, Potsdam 42
Photos courtesy of Jay Berkman
The Canton boys varsity basketball team used a smothering defense and timely scoring runs to defeat Potsdam 47-42 and move into sole possession of first place in the Northern Athletic Conference Central Division standings on Tuesday night in Canton.
Every Canton player who saw action helped contribute to a defensive effort that held the previously undefeated Sandstoners, who averaged 70.6 points per game, to a season-low 42 points.
Ryan Jones scored 26 points and had seven assists to lead the Canton offense.
The game got off to an inauspicious start for the Golden Bears, as Ethan Francey picked up two fouls in the first 90 seconds and was forced to sit on the bench for the remainder of the first half. Potsdam freshman phenom Ian VanWagner scored eight points in the first quarter to help the Sandstoners build a 14-8 lead.
The Golden Bears responded, however, with Jones converting an old-fashioned 3-point play at the end of the first quarter to start a 14-0 run, giving the Golden Bears a 22-14 lead halfway through the second.
John Wilcox, who spent most of the second quarter on the floor filling in for Francey, scored six points and drew a charge which got the Golden Bear student section on its feet.
Canton led 26-21 at the half, but Potsdam started the second half strong, tying the score 29-29. The Golden Bears weathered the storm, however, responding with a 9-0 run to take a 38-29 lead late in the third, and Canton led 40-34 going into the final frame.
The fourth quarter was a defensive battle; Potsdam cut the lead to two points twice in the closing minutes and had an opportunity to tie the game or take the lead on three occasions, but the Golden Bears’ defense was able to stop the Sandstoners on all three occasions.
Potsdam was forced to foul to try to catch up, and Zadok Roiger went 1-for-2 at the free throw line to give Canton a 45-42 lead with 19.4 seconds to play. The Sandstoners missed a shot on their next trip down the floor, and Talan Green was able to tie up the ball, giving Canton possession on the jump ball. Jones hit a pair of free throws with 8.2 seconds to play to put the game away.
Green had seven points for Canton, and Roiger and Jackson Ames both scored four. Ames added a team-best 11 rebounds for the Bears.
VanWagner led Potsdam (5-1 overall, 4-1 NAC Central) with 23 points, while Brodie Delaney added 12.
Canton (5-2, 5-0) goes on the road for a pair of games in the Lake George/Saratoga Springs area this weekend, facing Stillwater on Friday and Queensbury on Saturday, then returns home for the 44th Annual Burkman Holiday Classic Tournament on December 27-28.
