Wyatt Francey banked in a 25-foot 3-pointer with just three seconds to play to give the Canton boys JV basketball team a 31-30 win over Saranac Lake in the championship game of the Burkman Tournament at Jerry Hourihan Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon.
The shot — and the win — capped an incredible turn in fortunes for the Golden Bears, who opened the week with a 59-28 loss to the same Red Storm team in a non-league contest in Saranac Lake on Tuesday night.
“The 2025 portion of our season could not have finished in a better manner,” said head coach Bill Porter. “The boys have bought into the process of improvement and are starting to realize that with a good amount of work, they can win some games they might not even believe they could.”
“The win in the Burkman was one of the most enjoyable that I have been a part of in my many years as coach. The elation by the guys when Wyatt hit that game winner was unforgettable! Every member of the team contributed, even if it was simply their practice contribution which prepared the starters for the task.”
“Society today often overlooks the importance of being ‘A’ member of a team as young athletes seek the limelight and instant gratification of being ‘THE’ member of a team. The shared experience of winning a championship will never grow old. I’m proud of each member of this young team and look forward to sharing future hard work and successes.”
Basil Cheney, who led Canton with 20 points in a 45-40 win over Edwards-Knox in the tournament opener on Saturday and 14 points in the championship game, was named the tournament MVP, while Francey also earned All-Tournament Team honors.
Saranac Lake 59, Canton 28
After a tight first quarter, the Red Storm outscored Canton 14-4 in the second quarter to take a 23-12 halftime lead and never looked back.
Finn Maidre led Saranac Lake with 17 points, with Luke McCarthy (14) and Daniel Welsh (10) both reaching double figures.
Cheney scored 10 points to lead Canton, including all eight of the Golden Bears’ first-quarter points on a pair of 3-pointers and one 2-point shot. Will Alguire added five points for Canton.
Canton 45, Edwards-Knox 40 (Burkman Tournament First Round)
Canton methodically built a 38-25 lead through three quarters, and while Edwards-Knox chipped away late to make it close late in the fourth quarter, the outcome was never seriously in doubt.
Cheney scored a season-best 20 points, including four 3-pointers, while Brendan Todd added nine points and Francey scored six. Alguire (4), Teagan Green (3), Duke Butler (2) and Mak Brassard (1) also chipped in points for the Golden Bears.
Brogan Lottie scored 15 points to pace the Cougars; Grayson Tupper added 11.
Canton 31, Saranac Lake 30 (Burkman Tournament Championship)
Just five days after allowing a season-high 59 points to Saranac Lake, the Golden Bears came back to play their best defensive first half of the season, taking a 19-9 lead into halftime.
Saranac Lake stormed back, however, holding Canton to just three points in the third quarter to trim the lead to 22-18. The two teams traded buckets for most of the fourth quarter, with the Red Storm taking their first lead since they held a 2-0 advantage early in the first quarter with less than three minutes to play.
Trailing 30-28 with 25 seconds left, Canton worked the ball around the right side of the court. Todd found Alguire with an entry pass from the right wing, but Alguire was quickly covered by a Saranac Lake defender and kicked it back out to Todd. Todd was also defended tightly and found Francey with an outlet pass as the seconds ticked off the clock. Francey unleashed a shot from more than five feet behind the line and bank-swished the game-winning shot with three seconds left.
The Red Storm took a timeout but were unable to advance the ball beyond halfcourt, as Canton pressured the ball and Saranac Lake turned it over out of bounds before attempting an answer to Francey’s heroics.
Francey, Todd and Butler all scored five points for Canton, while Jonathan Webb added two.
Maidre scored 12 points — including all nine of his team’s points in the third quarter — to lead Saranac Lake.
Canton, now 4-2 on the season, goes on the road to face Marcellus on Saturday afternoon, then returns to North Country action at Hermon-DeKalb at 5:30 p.m. next Wednesday.
