In Ogdensburg on Thursday evening, Canton 53, OFA 45
All photos courtesy of Jay Berkman
The Canton Bears JV boys basketball team traveled to Ogdensburg to face the Blue Devils in their final game of the season. The boys knew they would be in for a battle as the Blue Devils squad has continued to improve throughout the season, recently giving Franklin Academy’s undefeated team their first league loss.
The first quarter was as everyone anticipated with intense defense but no one able to make shots. The Bears did have several open looks in the first frame but none of them would drop. Coach Porter even asked the scorer’s table if there was a lid on the rim! The first quarter saw the Blue Devils with a one point lead at 11-10.
The Bears began to settle in a bit on offense and survive the 1-3-1 zone defense applied by the Devils. The halftime lead was 23-17 for the Bears. The second half was similar to the first with a back and forth battle throughout the third quarter.
As the fourth quarter progressed the game really intensified as emotions elevated. With 1:30 remaining in regulation, Dan O’Neill was assigned to inbounds the ball on the far end of the court from the Bears basket. As point guard Dan Richardson worked to get open #1 Urijah Austin from OFA, denying the inbounds pushed Richardson to the floor evoking the foul call by the official. Richardson stood and clapped with a little too much enthusiasm and proximity to the OFA player’s ear, forcing the official into an unsportsmanlike technical foul call.
With the Bears up 46-43, Austin went to the line and confidently sunk two foul shots notching the score at 1 point 46-45. The foul also gave possession back to OFA. As OFA inbounded the ball, the zone pressure applied by James Trombley, Owen Matthews and Will Andes was too much as the Devils passed the ball out of bounds giving the ball back to the Bears.
As the ball was inbounded Parker Hurlbut found Owen Matthews on the left wing. Matthews put the ball on the floor and drove the baseline elevating to the rim, missing the lay-in but getting fouled in the process. At the line he made 1-2 giving the Bears a two-point margin. The next possession for the Devils ended in and over the back foul call sending Matthews back to the line for two more. He confidently sunk both charity throws, giving the Bears a little breathing room and a four-point lead.
On the next defensive possession the Bears’ Parker Hurlbut secured what would be the game winning rebound with 38 seconds remaining in the game. As Hurlbut outlet passed the ball to Will Andes, Andes drove the ball to the left side of the court where he found Matthews unguarded on the low wing. Matthews, without hesitation caught the ball, gathered into a shooting stance and let the ball fly!
“When Owen let that ball go, it was one of the moments when I yelled, NOOOO!!! followed by a YESSSSSS!!! as the shot went in!” Coach Porter recalled after the game. “You can provide all of the coaching in the world and demand that they execute however sometimes players just need to make plays and step up in big moments and Owen did that for us tonight.”
Matthews scored the final six points of the contest for the Bears in the 53-45 victory.
The Bears finished the season 13-7 and showed a lot of potential for the future. Scoring for the Bears in the game were Will Andes with 13, Dan O’Neill with 11, Parker Ames with eight, Owen Matthews with eight (six in the last 1:30 of the game), Hayden Towle with four, Parker Hurlbut with four, James Trombley with three, and Dan Richardson with two.
