All photos courtesy of Jay Berkman
The Canton varsity boys basketball team posted a pair of wins over Northern Athletic Conference Central Division foes, beating Gouverneur 66-42 at home on Jan. 29, then defeating Potsdam 43-34 on the road on Feb. 1.
The Golden Bears, now 14-3 overall and 11-0 in the NAC Central, have claimed at least a share of the conference’s regular season title and are one win away from the outright title with three games remaining.
On Monday, Canton withstood early momentum generated by Gouverneur as Wildcat standout Raine Rumble scored his 1,000th career point early in the contest. Canton led by just three points after the first quarter, but a 19-7 second quarter increased the lead to 15 points, and Gouverneur wasn’t able to trim the lead to less than double digits for the remainder of the game.
Ryan Jones led the Golden Bears with 24 points, including 13 in the pivotal second quarter. Zadok Roiger added 12 points for Canton, with Jackson Ames chipping in 10.
Rumble led Gouverneur, which fell to 6-9 overall, 3-7 NAC Central, with 18 points, including 11 in the first quarter.
Thursday’s matchup with Potsdam was highly anticipated and did not disappoint, as the Golden Bears’ defense was dominant, holding the Sandstoners, who scored 112 points in their previous outing, to a season-low 34 points.
Canton never trailed in the game, though Potsdam trimmed the Golden Bears’ lead to one point (11-10) in the early moments of the second quarter, and five points (32-27) early in the fourth. Canton responded with small runs in both cases to prevent the lead from ever changing hands.
Jones was once again Canton’s offensive leader, scoring 22 points, including 14 in the second half. Talan Green added eight points, while Roiger had six.
The Bears’ defense forced 24 Potsdam turnovers; John Wilcox and Ethan Francey both had momentum-changing steals, while Jackson Ames shut down the lane with several blocked shots. Roiger brought the Canton faithful to their feet with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game when he swatted a Potsdam 3-point attempt out of bounds that could have cut the Canton lead to six.
Brodie Delaney (13 points) and Ian VanWagner (12) led Potsdam, which fell to 11-6 overall, 8-4 NAC Central.
Canton, which has won nine straight games, will play its final regular season home game on Monday vs. Salmon River. Opening tip is scheduled for approximately 7:15, but fans should plan on arriving early as the seven players in the Class of 2024 will be honored with Senior Day festivities prior to the game.
The Golden Bears will then close out the regular season with games at Massena on Tuesday and at OFA on Thursday.
