The Canton boys varsity basketball team defeated Gouverneur 61-37 to win the 44th Annual Burkman Holiday Classic at Jerry Hourihan Gymnasium to cap a week that featured three wins in four games over seven days on Thursday night.
The Golden Bears defeated Madrid-Waddington 74-21 in the tournament semifinals on Wednesday, and split a pair of non-league games the previous weekend, falling to Stillwater, which entered the game ranked fourth in the New York State Sportswriter’s Class B poll, 83-60, before rebounding with a 45-31 win over Queensbury the following day.
The Bears, now 8-3 overall, lead the Northern Athletic Conference Central Division with a perfect 5-0 record with nine conference games remaining in the regular season, starting with a road game at Salmon River on Thursday, January 4.
Canton 61, Gouverneur 37
Photos courtesy of Jay Berkman
Ryan Jones earned tournament MVP honors, and Zadok Roiger was a member of the Art Quackenbush All-Tournament Team, as Canton cruised to their second win over the Wildcats this season.
Jones scored 21 points and had five assists and three steals in the championship game, hitting 7-of-8 free throws. Roiger added 10 points on 5-for-8 shooting with seven rebounds and three steals. Jackson Ames added 10 points and five rebounds, despite playing limited minutes in the first half after getting into early foul trouble.
After a tight first quarter, the Bears outscored the Wildcats 16-7 in the second quarter — capped by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Talan Green — to build a 26-15 halftime lead. The lead stayed in the low double digits through the third quarter before the Bears put it away with a dominant fourth quarter effort.
The Golden Bears’ defense allowed fewer than 40 points for the third straight game and the fifth time this season.
Raine Rumble scored 22 points to lead Gouverneur and earned All-Tournament Team honors.
Canton senior Griffin Scafidi-McGuire was recognized following the game as the winner of the Don Petty Memorial Award, which recognizes a player who shows respect for opposing players, officials and the game of basketball.
Canton 74, Madrid-Waddington 21
All 13 players who dressed for the game recorded at least one field goal as the Golden Bears cruised past a young Yellowjacket team.
Ryan Jones, whose father, Golden Bear alumnus Aaron Jones, coaches Madrid-Waddington, led the Bears with 17 points, on 7-for-8 shooting, including 3-for-3 from 3-point range. Aidan Richardson added a career-high 12 points with six rebounds and four steals. Scafidi-McGuire added seven points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Paul Redfern also scored seven points.
The Golden Bears hit 52.6% of their shots from the floor and outrebounded the Yellowjackets 40-14.
Cole Smith scored eight points to lead Madrid-Waddington.
Stillwater 83, Canton 60
Jackson Mueller scored 26 points and the Spartans (6-0) showed why they earned their fourth-place ranking in New York State in an non-league game at Stillwater last Friday.
Stillwater scored more than 20 points in each of the first three quarters and dismantled the Canton defense, which had allowed just 42.3 points per game entering the contest.
Stillwater built a 49-35 halftime lead, then put the game away with a 23-7 third quarter to build a 31-point lead entering the final frame.
Jones led Canton with 22 points, while Zadok Roiger scored 19 and Charlie Todd added eight.
Canton 45, Queensbury 31
Queensbury raced out to an 8-0 lead, but the Golden Bears responded with a 21-2 run to build a 21-10 lead at halftime en route to a non-league win last Saturday.
The Spartans closed the gap to six points several times in the second half, but were unable to get any closer, and the Canton defense held Queensbury to just one made field goal in the fourth quarter to pull away for the win.
Jones led the Bears with 18 points, while Green added eight.
Troy Jorgensen scored 10 points to lead Queensbury’s offense.
