The Canton boys JV basketball team opened the season with a pair of wins, beating Saranac Central 47-40 and Massena 48-29, before falling to Ogdensburg Free Academy, 51-36, to start the season with a 2-1 record.
The Bears didn’t show any signs of “bus legs” after the long ride to Saranac on December 1, taking a 13-3 lead after the first quarter thanks to a pair of 3-pointers by Basil Cheney, and led 21-13 at the half. Saranac cut the lead to five points early in the third quarter, but Canton used a 7-0 run to take a 32-20 lead late in the third quarter and held a comfortable lead for most of the fourth quarter before a few late buckets by Saranac cut the margin to single digits.
Andrew Downing and Brendan Todd both scored 12 points for the Bears, while Cheney and Wyatt Francey added seven apiece. Duke Butler added five points, and Jeremy Potter and Mack Brassard both scored two points.
With a scheduled game with Heuvelton moved to later in the season, the Bears had to wait more than a wait for their next test, but they passed with flying colors, playing a suffocating defense to lead Massena 25-6 at halftime.
The Bears used a balanced offense throughout the game; eight different players scored points, with Cheney leading the way with 11, including three 3-pointers. Todd added seven points, with Downing, Francey and Will Alguire chipping in with six apiece. Brassard and Jonathan Webb both scored five points, and Butler had two.
Nathan Farmer led Massena with seven points.
On Friday night, the Bears found themselves shorthanded with just nine healthy players available against a talented OFA squad. The Blue Devils raced out to a 34-7 halftime lead, but Canton responded by outscoring OFA 29-17 in the second half.
Todd led the Bears with 12 points, with 10 coming in the second half. Liam Wilcox hit a pair of fourth quarter 3-pointers for six points, and Francey also added six points. Butler scored four points, Teagan Green and Webb both scored three, and Cheney had two.
Isiah Warner led a balanced OFA offense, hitting three 3-pointers for nine points. Brennen Wilkinson added eight points. Ten different players made at least one field goal for the Blue Devils.
“The boys have been working very hard in this early part of the season,” Coach Bill Porter remarked. “Their improvement continues to be evident despite a recent set-back versus a very talented OFA team. I believe that they have committed to the process of improvement so only time will tell if this translates to better play. I am very much enjoying coaching this team thus far.”
With multiple players fighting illness, Canton has a welcome 11-day break between games before playing three games in a six day span. The Bears will take another long road trip to face Saranac Lake on December 23, then hosts Edwards-Knox in the first round of the Burkman Tournament at 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 27. The winner of the game will face the winner of the other seminal game (Saranac Lake vs. Madrid Waddington) at 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 28, with the losers squaring off in the consolation game at 1 p.m.
