Banquet Info

The 2010 Hornet Basketball Banquet will be Sunday, April 11th at 6:00 pm in the Foltz Community Center. A buffet dinner will be served followed by a program to recognize this year’s basketball players. We invite all of the friends, families and fans to come and help us celebrate the hard work of our young men.

Players, Cheerleaders and Honored Guests’ dinners will be free, and all other family members will be $15. Please support our program by joining your son for dinner if you can. Please return this form and additional ticket money to Coach Spurgeon. Checks should be made payable to East Canton Youth Basketball.

East Canton V Newton Falls: Hornets Get Stung

The Hive has never recapped a loss. This is weird

I don't have too much to say. I'm just so proud of the kids. I'm glad they got the awards, accolades, media recognition and community backing they justly deserved.

The Hive is proud to be associated with this bunch of kids and the community of East Canton. I'm impressed by the community for playing their roles. From cheering for the team to serving spaghetti dinners to painting the town blue and gold, everyone did their part to make sure basketball came back to East Canton. The Hive's role was to virtually admire an outstanding group of young men, mostly because I thought the smaller schools tend to get ignored by the media. But the Hornets played so well that the media could not ignore them. 23 wins later and Coach Spurgeon is in the Rep almost as much as Brett Wackerly. With that being said, thank you, East Canton, for embracing this thing I call the Hive. From its uncertain beginnings it has molded into a place a good Hornet fan can come and find out what the latest and greatest is with the team. And after this magical season, a good Hornet fan is again a cool thing to be.


Read about the game here VVVVVVV
http://www.cantonrep.com/carousel/x1664763898/East-Canton-falls-in-regional-semifinal-boys-basketball-game
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Community Support
http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x673422612/East-Canton-is-loving-boys-basketball-title-run

PTC Honors
http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x1336915664/Portage-Trail-Conference-Awards

Another Article
http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x1664759792/H-S-boys-basketball-East-Canton-a-team-with-true-grit

Awards Update

Ryan Burfield - 1st Team All-PTC, 1st Team All NE Inland District, 1st Team All OHSBC District 4

Zell Bradley - PTC Player of the Year, 1st Team All NE Inland District, 1st Team All OHSBC District 4

Josh Smith - 1st Team All-PTC, 2nd Team All NE Inland District

Joe Cartwright - 1st Team All-PTC, Honorable Mentions All NE Inland District

Brandan Slater - Honorable Mention All-PTC, Honorable Mentions All NE Inland District

Stu Campbell - Honorable Mention All-PTC

Coach Spurgeon - PTC Coach of the Year, District 4 Coach of the Year (D3), OHSBC District 4 Coach of the Year

Team - Sectional Champs, District Champs, PTC Champs

Am I missing an award outlet other than all-state (which hasn't been released yet)?

Recap: East Canton 64, Campbell-Memorial 56

Chris Beaven of the Rep wrote a great article about the game in the Rep. He recapped it perfectly but I will add some of my comments. Read this article first
http://www.cantonrep.com/sports/x1526463088/East-Canton-boys-win-to-reach-regional



How about Zell Bradley? Boy, did he just stuff the stat sheet, or what? Not only stats, but he kept the Hornets in the game by making plays when Campbell went on their run early. Zell had 22 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. That's 43 tallies in the stat column! There are only 32 minutes in a high school basketball game. He was making a positive contribution on the stat sheet every 45 seconds last night! Zell also went 14-18 from the free throw line, including some clutch makes. This is the same Zell Bradley that teams wanted to intentionally foul early in the fourth quarter to try to take advantage of his perceived lack of free throw shooting. He made those teams pay, and he made Campbell pay. Zell, keep on keeping those stat girls busy

Side note: I write down notes during the game to myself. I have twice written down, "Bradley is doing everything he can to win this game."

Beaven correctly pointed out the match up zone at the end of the game that completely stifled Campbell. Technically it's switching man defense but it had the same effect as a match up zone. It shut down the driving lanes and left Campbell scratching their heads. It was timed perfectly for when it was implemented. Campbell didn't have enough time to make adjustments for it. This was a HUGE factor in the outcome of the game.

Another huge factor was the timely pressing of the Hornets. East Canton picked their spots but it was effective most of the time they went to the presses. It was most evident in a Hornet 6-0 run during the 3rd quarter. The Hornets scored 6 points without letting Campbell get the ball across half court. This turned the score from 29-34 in favor of Campbell, to 35-34 in favor of East Canton.

The Hornets stepped up at the free throw line again. They have had a roller coaster ride from the charity stripe this season but they have picked a good time to hit a peak. Bradley led this way going 14-18. Burfield knocked down 6-9. Cartwright knocked down two in the clutch. Stu hit two more big ones to close out the game. It was just a a solid overall free throw shooting effort by the Hornets

74% of the Hive followers correctly predicted the Hornets to win by under 10 points in our most recent poll. That's impressive




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The Rep's Preview
http://www.cantonrep.com/stark/canton/x427965236/East-Cantons-district-final-foe-looks-familiar

Blast From The Past: The 1985 Team - District Champs

Written by Joe Bogdan


Although the 1985 team would end up in the same place as the 1984 team, they had to get there with different players, and along a different path. As the Hornets continued to play in a Senate League that was rapidly outgrowing them, wins were hard to come by. The team was very competitive in most contests, but ended the regular season at only 10-10. Senior Brian Martin stepped up to take over the offense, scoring 20 points per game, and being named District 4 player of the year, as well as 3rd team All-Ohio. Senior captains and three year letter winners Don Shimek and Mark Wardle added toughness and leadership.

When East Canton dropped down into tournament play, the rigorous Senate League schedule began to pay dividends. The Hornets went largely unchallenged in their first two tournament games, and squeaked by Woodridge 38-36 in the district semis. The team beat Ashtabula St. John’s 54-46 to claim its second straight district crown.

Once again, the Hornets would find themselves in Canton Memorial Field House for the regional tournament. This year’s opponent was Maplewood. With a talented 6’7” big man, Maplewood proved too much for the smaller Hornets. East Canton’s tourney run ended in a 62-45 loss.

Recap: East Canton 59, St. Thomas Aquinas 55 (Or, Hornets Jump Out Early, Hold On For Sweet Tournament Life)

The first quarter answered a lot of the questions as to how last night's game would be played. Ryan Snyder, one of the counties top scorers from St. Thomas, was questionable with a ankle injury. His mobility, or lack there of, set the Hornets on a course ultimate aggressive play. The ability of St. Thomas to handle East Canton's pressure also showed as the Hornets were extremely disruptive. Then came the big “what if.” What if East Canton gives any kind of offensive shooting performance like they did in the sectional final against Ursuline? Well, that “what if” was quickly nixed in the first quarter when Burfield got hot from three-point range and Bradley connected on a few crafty, patient drives. The Hornets put up 20 points in the first quarter, almost equally their output for an entire half against Ursuline. So with all those questions out of the way and the Hornets clutching a 9 point lead, the rest of the game was to play out like a television sitcom.

The second quarter began the let-down for the Hornets. It did not appear on the score baord because they actually increased their lead by 2 more points. But, the defensive intensity was slowly wearing off and the rebounding edge was starting to tilt towards Aquinas. Aquinas also debuted some junk defenses and face-guarding techniques on Burfield. I felt these really slowed the Hornets down and got EC out of rhythm. The lack of intensity was most evident in the post defense of EC. In the first quarter STA's gaurds couldn't get a look in the post, and if they did, EC had the post surrounded. The 2nd quarter STA got easy post feeds for scores. All that said, the Hornets take an 11 point lead into halftime.

During the 3rd quarter STA cut into the Hornet lead by five points. More STA junk defense was really taking the Hornets away from what they wanted to do. Additionally, STA began to look like more of an aggressive team. Holding on to a six point lead going into the fourth quarter, it would come down to ball security and free throws for the Hornets.

In the 4th quarter STA started to get a rhythm. They scored 22 points that quarter, as many as their output in the 2nd and 3rd quarters combined. East Canton didn't back down though. They handled STA's press and made them pay for extending their pressure. Leading by 6, EC got a huge play from Campbell finishing a lay up off of a press break for an and-1. He knocked down the free throw to give EC a nine point lead, 49-40. STA didn't stop scoring but EC managed to match the Aquinas points by knocking down their free throws. Smith stepped up to the line for a 1-and-1 and nailed both. STA quickly scored. Campbell got fouled for a 1-and-1 and nailed both. STA missed their free throws and it was back to foul line for EC. Bradley, now in the double bonus, made the two he was given. STA then scored two baskets in a row to cut the lead to 7, 55-48. Burfield split a double bonus and STA wasted no time in scoring and then calling what seemed like an endless amount of time outs. Smith put the game away with 3 out of 4 free throws in the final minute. STA had prayer when they hit a 3-pointer in the final minute but the EC lead was never in serious jeopardy.



The leading scorers were Campbell 15, Burfield 12 , Bradley 11, Smith 11 and Slater with 8. Bradley added 5 assists to go with his point total and Smith and Campbell each grabbed 5 boards. Leading the way for STA was Bond with 16. Dempsey added 10 and Duplin 9. Their leading scorer hobbled around and only managed to score 4 points. It's hard for me to take pleasure in seeing a kid play his final game in this condition. And I feel even worse for him after seeing him try to drive around Jow Cartwright on one leg. That ain't happenin.

Here is the Rep's version
http://www.cantonrep.com/sports/x1224403725/H-S-boys-basketball-East-Canton-remains-unbeaten

Things I Think I Think
I think I'm proud of the way East Canton's student section held their own against the STA group. STA had more students and experience of being an irritant all year to opposing teams. The Hornet fans traded cheers and held their own all night. They did have one thing in their favor though. That was the “SCOREBOARD, SCOREBOARD, SCOREBOARD!”

I think Friday night's game should be a dousy. Campbell-Memorial's athleticism and quickness are unparalleled to any team on East Canton's schedule this year. They looked like a Streetsboro on steroids to me.

I think the assertiveness of Stu Campbell lately deserves a round of applause. He's gotten tougher as the year has gone by and is almost indispensable in late game situations. He even had a caller from an in-state university after the game. The only other college recruiter to appear for the Hornets was from the Paul Mitchell College of Hair Care for Justin Whitacre. Gotchaaaa

Recap: Hornets 43, Youngstown Ursuline 40 (Or, Hornets Survive, Advance)

The Rep On East Canton V Ursuline
http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x2096601980/East-Canton-Hornets-keep-the-dream-going

The Rep On Our Opponent Tuesday, Aquinas
http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x2096602038/Aquinas-boys-advance-to-play-East-Canton

Watching last night's game I felt a flurry of emotions. At times I wanted to laugh, other times I wanted to cry. Another time I wanted to wake up because I was sure the game was nightmare of mine. Then, I had a momentary bit of confidence that the game would turn out in East Canton's favor - only to be followed by a strong feeling of impending doom. But I survived my emotional roller coaster, and so did the Hornets.

Here are some of the stats of East Canton

Free Throws - 15/28
Three-Point Shooting - 2/20 total, 0/15 in first half
Two-Point Shooting - 11/52
Overall Field Goals - 13/72 (18%)

And that's the winning team!

Ursuline was equally as ugly in their own way. Their poisons were turnovers (24), free throws (4/11) and three-point shooting (0/10).

After the worst half of basketball played all year by the Hornets, they still managed to hold a one point lead at the half. This despite spending most of the first half rushing shots and getting blocked. The length and athleticism clearly bothered the Hornets. Long arms made Hornet jump shots get released earlier than usual and those same long arms rejected numerous shots and altered many more.

The refs called the game like a tournament game. Fouls seemed reserved for only blatant offenses. With East Canton being the undersized team, this was not in the Hornets favor. This won't change though. And I don't believe it's a problem because the Hornets are tough. They fought hard for those balls without getting calls and I'm positive they will remain the tough, scrappy bunch that got them this far.

The game stayed remarkably close throughout the whole contest. At the end of each quarter the largest scoring margin was 3. Ursuline led by 2 after 1 quarter, East Canton by 1 at halftime, East Canton by 1 again at the end of 3 quarters, and finally, East Canton by 3 to end the game. I'm not sure what the biggest deficit either team faced but 5 points would have been a big lead for either team to hold at any point in the game.

On a night where it seemed the entire team was having an off night, Burfield led the team with 12 points. He got 8 of those in the 3rd (a period the Hornets only scored 13 points total). Bradley had 11 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Smith had 10 rebounds to go with his 7 points. Ursuline was paced by #15 Gregory with 12 points. He had a money pull-up jump shot and gave the Hornets fits trying to keep him out of the paint. Ursuline's big scorer, Jenkins, was held in check and only finished with 7 points.

The Hornets play next Tuesday against St. Thomas Aquinas at 8pm. This should be the most chaotic environment of the season. Aquinas has a top-notch student section so the Hornet fans may need to take it up another notch for this one.

Player Profile: Ryan Burfield

Ryan, a 6'0" junior, leads the Hornets in scoring at 19ppg and adds 4 steals and 3.5 assists per contest. He's rewriting the East Canton record books with his 3-point shooting and is making drastic strides to have a well-rounded overall skill package. Get to know Ryan a little better through this installment of Player Profiles.

Favorite food? Any kind of chicken

What other sports do you play? Baseball, Vollskett-square

Favorite sports team? Cavs

Favorite class in school? Chemistry 2

Last book you read for entertainment? Enders Game

Favorite movie? Grandma's Boy

What's in your cd player right now? All rap and hip hop

Who is your role model? My dad

Lebron or Kobe? LeBron

What's your favorite Spurgeon quote? "That's not sexy"

Most memorable moment in athletics? Zell making a 3-point shot to take Columbiana to OT

What are you post high school aspirations? Go to college


Coach Spurgeon on Ryan: "Ryan has certainly developed his game. He has become a scorer, not just a shooter. He continues to improve his defense, rebounding and ball handling every day."

Player Profile: Zell Bradley

The 5'10" senior leader is averaging 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4.5 steals per contest while shooting 50% from the field. However, no form of statistical measurement can accurately show what Zell brings to the Hornets. As the primary ball-handler, Zell has used a combination of speed, quickness and smarts to pick apart defenses with his drive and dish game. Able to beat defenders with either hand, the big men have feasted on easy lay-ups from Bradley all year. Learn more about Zell off the court in this installment of Player Profiles.

Favorite food? Porterhouse Steak

What other sports do you play? None

Favorite sports team? Cleveland Cavs

Favorite class in school? Lunch

Last book you read for entertainment? The Bible

Favorite movie? A Night At The Roxbury


What's in your cd player right now? A Mix, but Mostly Lil Wayne

Who is your role model? Momma Cartwright

Lebron or Kobe? Lebron

What's your favorite Spurgeon quote? "That's Not Sexy"

Most memorable moment in athletics? When Joe ran in circles at Mogadore freshman year

What are your post high school aspirations? Attend college

Coach Spurgeon on Zell: "Zell has really become a floor general. He distributes the ball, he scores it, he defends.. He has been invaluable this year."

Recap: East Canton 69, Streetsboro 57 (Or, Hornets Remain Perrrfect, Now The Real Fun Begins)

The Rep covered this one
http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x1595502823/East-Canton-boys-basketball-team-goes-20-0

Overview: After an even start, the Hornets pulled away in the 2nd quarter. They built a lead Streetsboro could never tap back into.

Summary: Historians should have been salivating at the chance to witness what went down in the Smith Gymnasium last night. The last game to be played in at the East Canton facility turned out to be a special one. With East Canton set to play their games in a new gym next year, it only seemed appropriate to cut down the nets after the game. And the Hornets had a reason to do it. Finishing the regular season 20-0 for the first time in school history (and the 14th time in Stark County history), meant the the game ball was getting locked up and the nets were coming down.

The nervousness showed in the 1st quarter. Missed layups and rushed shots led to a 9-10 Streetsboro lead after 1. The 2nd quarter is where the Hornets established the superiority, outscoring Streetsboro by 10 points to take a 9 point lead into half. But all was not well for the Hornet faithful. Bradley and Campbell both had 3 fouls at intermission and Streetsboro was giving East Canton as much pressure as they could handle. The Hornets are usually the disruptive team on defense but Streetsboro gave as good as they got with defensive pressure last night.

East Canton started the 3rd on a 4-0 run making the score 39-26 but couldn't keep that momentum. The entire quarter continued at an uncomfortably sloppy pace. This stretch featured missed layups back and forth with plenty of fast break opportunities. A play of note happened toward the end of the 3rd. After a loose ball, a Streetsboro player tried to make a save under the Hornet goal. He rifled the ball at Slater to try and get the ball to go out of bounds off him. Slater's quickness (O, the irony) allowed him to catch the ball in his stomach and lay it in instead of the ball deflecting out of bounds to the Rockets. Slater led the Hornets with 26 points. He was an animal on the boards and finished around the room exceptionally. After 3 quarters, the Hornets had pushed their lead out 2 more points, 69-57.

Streetsboro was able to to get as close as 6 points in the 4th quarter. After playing awful for the majority of the game, Bradley stepped up and made plays to keep the Rockets at a distance. He executed a dribble-drive floater to perfection, plus a drive and dish gave the Hornets breathing room. Then Streetsboro tried to foul Bradley early to get to take advantage of his perceived inability to make free throws. Boy, were they wrong about this. He converted 4 consecutive free throws in 1-and-1 situations, split a double bonus, and converted 2 more of a double bonus in a 2 minute stretch. That being said, game over.

The Box Score
http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x1694768878/High-school-boys-basketball-box-scores-for-Feb-27




The Rep wrote a nice article about the history behind Stark County teams going 20-0. Somehow they managed to turn it into more ink for Brett Wackerly. For those of you who were not in your senior basketball season during North Canton's 20-0 season of 2003-04, this is not very surprising.



http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x1694766277/What-would-20-0-mean-for-East-Canton-basketball-team
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Check out this picture. This sign seems very insensitive to be posted in a girls high school basketball town. I'm just kidding, Hive faithful. But notice the white truck in the background, belonging to the future District 4 Coach of the Year, Chad Spurgeon. Talk about perfect timing. Thanks to Nicole's for the support and pre-game pasta!


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Here is a Free-Press article about the 20th win
http://www.the-press-news.com/news/slideshow/4781116
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Here is a Free-Press article about Zell Bradley, errrrr, I mean East Canton celebrating Black History Month
http://www.the-press-news.com/news/simple_article/4776629
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Here is a Free-Press article on the tournament draws of the local schools
http://www.the-press-news.com/news/article/4771270

Blast From The Past: The 2001 Team

Written By Joe Bogdan

Sandwiched around some mid season frustrations, Jeff Spaulding’s second team played well at the right time to claim the Hornets most recent trip to the sweet sixteen. East Canton was led by second team All-Ohioan Bub Crumrine and Academic All-Ohioan Jarrod Davis. Seniors Lucas Butler, Todd Shadle, John Miller, and Eric John gave the team a veteran cast. Sophomore Kyle Arick was the lone underclassman to start for the Hornets, while fellow sophomore Jake Jacobsen and freshman Pete Foltz were valuable players off the bench.

After an opening night loss to Malvern, East Canton won four in a row. At mid season, the Hornets were 7-3, and in the hunt for the PAC title. Losses at Manchester, Fairless and Sandy Valley in the middle of January took the team out of the league race, but East Canton won several close games down the stretch to finish at 11-9.

The Hornets were seeded third in the Struthers Sectional-District, but almost didn’t make it out of the first round. The team faced a double-digit first quarter deficit against Lowellville. Crumrine scored 32 points, and the team needed every one of them as it was extended into overtime before outscoring Lowellville 17-2 in the extra period for a 72-57 win. Following a familiar pattern for the year, they followed the sub-par performance with a brilliant one. Again trailing early, East Canton stormed into the lead against second seeded Sebring and muscled its way to a 48-44 upset.

East Canton faced top seeded South Range in the district finals. South Range was led by North East Ohio Inland District player of the year Chris Hatch. Hatch was kept under control by the stingy defense of Lucas Butler, and the Hornets built a ten-point lead during the third quarter. South Range mounted a comeback, and took a 53-51 lead during the last minute. With 15 seconds left, Bub Crumrine caught Todd Shadle’s pass and hit a three pointer while coming off two screens. South Range threw up a desperation heave at the buzzer, but it bounced harmlessly off the rim as time expired.

The regional tournament in Canton would see the Hornets as an underdog for the third straight time. They would face state ranked Lutheran East. The Hornets played well throughout the first half, leading 31-20 with a little over a minute remaining. However, Lutheran East went on a late surge and closed the gap to four at the half. The game slowly slipped away as Lutheran East began to go inside, and the Hornets went cold from the field. In the end, the fine tournament run ended with a 59-63 loss. Jarrod Davis summed up the feeling of all involved after the game when he told the media “I’m sure a lot of people didn’t think we could get this far, but everyone on this team knew we had what it took. And we showed we could play with anybody.”

Player Profile: Stu Campbell

Stu, the 6'6" post, has found his niche coming off the bench for the Hornets. Easily East Canton's best passing big man, Stu has shown constant and consistent improvement over the course of his senior season. He has a soft shooting touch with range all the way out to the 3-point line. His size allows him to be a force on the boards at both ends of the court. Learn more about Stu in this installment of Player Profiles.


Favorite Food? Chocolate Chip Waffles


Favorite Sports Team? Cleveland Cavs


Favorite Class in School? Relationship Matters


Last Book You Read for Entertainment? Friday Night Lights


Favorite Movie? Step Brothers


What's in Your CD Player Right Now (Or Favorite Band/Musician)? Jay Z


Who Is Your Role Model (s)? My 2 brothers and Rambo


Lebron or Kobe? Lebron


Most Memorable or Funniest Moment In Athletics? Running out on the court with time remaining at Windham


Coach Spurgeon on Stu:
"Stu has a lot of ability and talent. He's really a great kid. As he continues to become more aggressive, he becomes better every day."



There has been some controversy over whether Stu Campbell can or cannot dunk the basketball. There also may or may not be private wagers being placed on his capability to do so. It is about time he proves it to us all. Therefore, I am starting the "Let Stu Dunk" campaign to encourage others to pass the ball to Stu on breakaways, look for him on alley-oop plays, or maybe even let him jump off your back to give him a few inch boost when he attempting to "get up." Time is ticking, Stu. Better dust off those Jump Soles.

Recap: East Canton 80, Rootstown 40 (Or, When Zell's Raining Threes, 19-0 We'll Be)

The Rep's coverage

http://www.cantonrep.com/sports/x1650247359/East-Canton-continues-on-road-to-perfection

Sorry for the lack of coverage on Friday's game. I was in Kentucky visiting my former college. I did have a few thoughts and observations on Friday's game.

It was undeniable that the environment played a huge factor in Fridays game. With WHBC in the building and all the alumni, the atmosphere was electric. There were no empty seats in the gym. Some special people from East Cantons basketball history were getting to watch the Hornets for the first time in years. Boy, did the Hornets not disappoint. The game was over just minutes in.

Campbell had a huge 1st quarter. 8 of his 13 came during the first period and he didn't even start. This is a great sign and a huge boost to the Hornets overall depth and toughness inside.

The third quarter was a bit of a let down. Rootstown outscored the Hornets, 15-12. In fairness, the game was well past decided at this point and it didn't matter what East Canton did, the result was solidified. The Hornets seemed content, lax with their pressure and a lack of precision on offense. But I am a bottom line type of guy and the bottom line says: East Canton 80, Rootstown 40. Still, 4 quarters of basketball is the goal, not 3.

East Canton didn't allow any Rootstown players to reach double digits for indivdual scoring. I love it when this happens, personally. It shows that the Hornets are as much of a team on defense as they are on offense.

Bradley was all over the place stealing balls. He was in passing lanes and swiping crossovers. He finished with 6 total steals. Oh yeah, he also made a season high 4 3-pointers, all in a short time span. When he got hot, it was truly the death knell for the Rovers. Most teams know they are in trouble trying to harness Bradley's quickness, but to have to worry about the 3-point shot too is devastating.

East Canton scored 12 points in the 3rd quarter. 6 Hornets scored during the 3rd with no Hornet scoring any more or less than 2 points. Weird.

Rootstown is a good 3-point shooting team. We bothered their sets and didn't let them get many good looks from three range. Rootstown only hit 4 3s, while East Canton put 8 3s in.

The JV team lost, 40-53. Leading the way for the Hornets was Pennell with 11 and Kennedy with 9.

Free-Press Article
http://www.the-press-news.com/news/article/4776624

Recap: East Canton 75, Minerva 62 (Or, Total Team Effort Tames Lions)

Read this real journalism before my pseudo-journalism

http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x1715241139/East-Canton-moves-to-18-0-tops-Minerva

The Hornets started slow, letting Minerva get up 14-4. East Canton appeared shell-shocked and Minerva looked poised to make things very difficult for the Hornets. East Canton got bucket and then received a favorable out of bounds call on the Minerva end. On the ensuing possession, Burfield got fouled on a drive with :37 left in the first quarter. Coach Locke from Minerva was livid. He received a technical foul but I had no idea what he said to earn it. This gave Burfield 4 free throws and East Canton got the ball back. On the final possession of the quarter, a stalled play led to Stu Campbell 3-pointer. He drained it to make the score 14-13 still in Minerva's favor. This three also drained any thoughts Minerva faithful might have had that we weren't the team people had been telling them we were.


East Canton took their first lead of game with 6:00 remaining in the second period, 18-17. The two teams battled back and forth. East Canton got up as many as 6, but Ryker Locke 3-pointer from the volleyball line cut the lead to 3. East Canton got another bucket to to send the score into half at 28-23. The Hornets outscored Minerva by 6 in the 2nd quarter.


The third quarter, like it usually is for basketball games, was the make or break quarter. Minerva looked as if they had used up a lot of their fight, and East Canton pounced. The Hornets pushed their lead up to 34-25. A Minerva press was bothering the Hornets until Burfield hit Bradley on the fly for a touchdown. Wait, this is basketball. So he didn't get a touchdown but he did get an and-1, only after displaying footwork that would make the "Dancing With the Stars" judges applaud on his spin move. Bradley netted the free throw to push the Hornet lead to twelve, 37-25.

An extra-curricular forearm shiver by Minerva's Dulaney sent Bradley down to the ground after the whistle. A technical foul was assessed and outcries from Minerva coaches and parents were heard loud and clear. They thought Bradley was faking the impact. I even heard a Minerva coach say, "even the East Canton AD says he flops."


Elseser had a golden stretch of play in the 3rd. A steal led to a beautiful pull up 12-footer in transition. A rare shot for a high school player to have the confidence to even attempt, let alone drain it. A few plays later he made an Hakeem Olajuwon post move for another score.

Burfield had a lay-up fest at the end of the 3rd and beginning of the 4th, finally pushing the lead out past 10-12. With a significant lead, the Hornets pulled the ball out in the 4th to eat some time off the clock and wait for a quality shot. This was effective only because Bradley and Cartwright were absolutely unshakable handling the ball. Minerva was flying all over the court, trapping, pressuring and fouling.
Never did they waver.

Minerva's Locke led the game in scoring with 23. Burfield led the Hornets with 21 points. Slater added 17 points, scoring 7 points in the 2nd and 4th quarters. Smith scored 10 points and had 7 rebounds. Campbell added 7 and Elseser had 7 too. 6 of Elsesers 7 came in the 3rd quarter. Battista added 12 for Minerva. I know he didn't shoot well last night but I like this kids game. A soft touch, over-head release and a competent mid-range game.

Bradley's 8 points and 7 assists don't seem like much, but he has become a true game changer. Opponents are sometimes able to counter balance certain things that we do well. They take away our rebounding edge with big boys of their own or have 3-point shooters to match ours. One thing they have never been able to counter balance is Bradley. Granted, it's not always pretty to watch or result in the perfect box score but the kid gets it done. Passing, rebounding, leadership, speed, ball-handling and so on.

The JV took a pounding from Minerva, 17-54. Pennell and Shultz tied for the scoring lead with 4 points a piece.

East Canton: The New Press Darlings

http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x228089684/East-Cantons-Spurgeon-will-wait-for-talk

Recap: East Canton 73, Malvern 56 (Or, EC Wins Battle of the Hornets; Should Consider Challenging the New Orleans Hornets)

The Rep was all over this match up

http://www.cantonrep.com/sports/x1631830483/East-Canton-boys-thwack-Malvern-to-stay-perfect

Things Of Note
Cartwright hit 7 3-pointers in the first half. I enjoyed watching the progression of anger from Malvern's coach as they just kept coming. The first two 3-pointers, he was OK with, encouraging his team. On the third one, it became apparent he was getting irritated. With 6:30 to go in the second quarter, Joe decided swish shooting was too easy for him and he would try banking three's. The ball banked in and Coach Tucci at Malvern cocked his foot back like his was going to kick the bench (not really a bench, more of a collection of chairs), but decided to relax his force, sparing the chair from bending like Beckham. Joe then hit his 5th three a minute later at the 5:30 mark. His 6th at the 4:00 minute mark. And his 7th at the 1:23 mark. By the 7th 3-pointer, Tucci's jacket was flying up against the wall and he was screaming at the kids. With 2.3 seconds remaining in the half, Joe tried to get another three off but was fouled. Tucci was belligerent on this play, embarrassing his own son for fouling. Coach Tucci was in luck though. The free throw line was too close for Joe. He only made 1 out of the 3 attempts. The next half Joe only shot a couple of 3s. He didn't try to force shots that weren't there and went back to looking for his teammates. Would anyone who knows Joe expect him to do anything else? He is as selfless as they come. It could not be more obvious from reading the article the Rep wrote. How many kids would have taken the opportunity to self-gloss after a performance like that? There is no way to tell but the percentage it would happen from a kid on this team is far below average. And the chance Joe Cartwright would is absolutely zero.

In the first half, East Canton was 10/20 on 3-pointers. They had made 10 3-pointers and 3 2-pointers. Malvern had taken only 1 3-pointer and made it, 1/1. This differential in 3s is staggering but not as staggering as the foul situation. With 2:40 to go in the 2nd quarter, East Canton had committed 7 fouls to Malvern's 1. Then, at the 1:30 mark of the 3rd quarter, East Canton had already committed 7 fouls to Malvern's 2.

Hornet fans have the fever, and the only prescription is more East Canton Basketball. The ever prescient fans showed up early to get their seat. 30 minutes before the JV game and the visitor section was filling up rapidly. The gym was packed by the end of the JV game and people were watching the game in cafeteria on closed circuit TV. The East Canton fans were loud, louder than the other 2/3 of the fans. The student section made sure Malvern knew they lost with a powerful chant in the 4th quarter and had no mercy when Malvern's JV kids botched an outlet pass in the varsity game, chanting "fun-da-mentals." And the environment should only get crazier from here on out.

Bradley may have a career in politics when his basketball days are through. He was lobbying extremely hard for Burfield to let him shoot the technical free throws in the 4th quarter. Burfield didn't give in, but made only 1 of the 2. Our scorekeeper was quick to point out the excess quarters played. A kid can only play 5 quarters combined between JV and varsity on any given night. Both the home and away books showed that he played in all 4 JV quarters and 2 varsity quarters. Tucci threw a fit. First, he tried to get his scorekeeper to change how it was marked in the home book. Then, he tried arguing with the refs about it. And finally, when all his options were exhausted, he just threw the book over his head like a child, striking the scorekeeper in the head. I heard the scorekeeper claim he was quitting because of the disrespect by Tucci. He claimed he had been keeping the book for 52 years there. What a shame.

Tucci, a few minutes later, having not been able to draw attention to himself awhile, sparked a substitution war. He put his younger guys in with East Canton holding a 16 point lead. Coach Spurgeon was completely oblivious to this and left his main guys in. Tucci then subbed his starters back in an effort to make Coach Spurgeon look like he was being unmerciful. When people explained to Spurgeon the substitution war that he didn't even know he was in, he put all his younger kids in, and Tucci did too.

The stat breakdown for the East Canton: Points - Cartwright 27, Burfield 18, Bradley 9, Slater 8, Cambell 6, Smith 5. Smith added a team leading 9 rebounds and tied Bradley for the team lead in assists with 4. Burfield led the team in steals with 3. Malvern was led by Tucci with 20 and 5 big fouls. A sluggish-looking Wackerly had 14 points.

The JV team lost a heart breaker in overtime. The long 3-pointer gave Malvern a 1 point lead with 5 seconds remaining. Shultz's prayer was not answered at the buzzer. The final was 46-47.

A Free-Press article recapping the Garfield and Malvern games
http://www.the-press-news.com/news/slideshow/4771273

Recap: East Canton 83, Garfield 62 (Or, You Say Garretsville, I Say Garfield)

The Hornets overpowered Garfield in just about every aspect of the game. That is what you might expect when an undefeated team goes up against winless team. Bradley appeared to have an extra gear last night, whipping in and out of the defense on a whim. He ended with an unusual line for a point guard. 6 points, 8 assists and 12 rebounds is atypical for a pg to say the least, but that's what Hornet fans have come to expect from the 5'10" senior. He added a new dimension to his game last night. After pounding a Garfield 3-point attempt into the padded wall, he may consider himself a bonafide shot blocker.

The combination of Smith, Campbell and Slater controlled the glass and finished a majority of their opportunities on the inside. It almost appeared to be boys going up against men. Smith led East Canton with his season high in points, 25. It was quite 25 and he probably only played half of the game. I saw multiple people look over the stat sheet and and say, "Smith had 25??"

Burfield did his usual "invisible man" thing for a half. He had 19 points, including 5 3-pointers, during the first 16 minutes. Then, almost as if he purposely decided to, stepped out of the spotlight and allowed other members of the Hornets to take over. I'm growing tired of Burfield's constant flirtation with the schools three point record for a single game. After tying the record against Mogadore, he teased us once again last night with his hot start, only to leave us wanting more.

The JV team came up short last night, losing to Garfield, 37-46. Shultz led the Mini Hornets with 9 points.

Bits of Randomness
In the first quarter, Garfield decided to turn air conditioner on in the middle of a Cartwright free throw. The gust of air blew the ball off to the left, resulting in an air ball. We know an exceptional shooter would not miss a free throw that badly without a freak occurrence like like the air conditioner catching the ball mid-stream.

Burfield and Smith combined for 38 first half points. Garfield's entire team combined for 25 first half points.

The free throw bug came back last night. 3-9 from the stripe is not going to get it done against better opponents.

East Canton @ Malvern tonight. Battle of the Hornets!! Bzzzzzzz

Box Score
http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x196132473/High-school-boys-basketball-box-scores-for-Feb-12

Quotables

You may or may not know that Coach Chad Spurgeon has a reputation of saying some outrageous things from time to time. By keeping a steady ear and enlisting the help of his players, I have compiled a list of some of the more interesting things to come out of his mouth.

During a halftime speech
"You guys are like a loosely held together lawn chair from the 1970's"

"I woke up this morning and had myself a dozen eggs, a 2lb steak and a beaver liver"

During an early morning Saturday practice
"You can't wake up at nine for a nine thirty practice. Half of u look like you combed your hair with a pork chop this morning"

"I think I could wrestle a bear and a gorilla and win"

During a film breakdown session
"How about every pass we throw sucks! Lets talk about that"

Describing himself learning how his new phone works
"Trying to figure out my phone, I looked like a monkey playing with a magic fox"

Describing his ability to perform in clutch situations
"I could make a free throw with a 10 lb weight hanging form my neck.. Because I'm mentally tough"

Explaining the feeling he gets when his players don't listen
"You should just throw the ball and hit me in the stomach because that's what it feels like every time I tell you to do something and u don't do it"

"I have broken open a femur and sucked the marrow out, uncooked"

"I'm going to name my first 2 kids Meadowlark and Baskerville"
and furthermore on this one, "The great thing is - they work equally well for boys or girls"


I'm sure there are more out there... Feel free to submit your own favorite

Blast From The Past: The 1971 Team

Written and contributed by Athletic Director Joe Bogdan

The 1970-71 season began with many changes. The 20-2 team from the year before had graduated three starters, and a fourth starter had transferred. Despite the great change, the winning continued at what would become a record pace. The deepest tournament run in school history would end with a heart breaking one point loss to Pleasant in the regional finals at the Columbus Fairgrounds. A single basket is all that separated Coach Bob Jordan’s team from a place in the State semi-finals.

The 1971 team is often referred to as the greatest team in East Canton history, and with good reason. The team still holds records for most wins (22), most points (1795), most field goals made (721), and most rebounds (1245). Center Steve Clark still holds a single season record with 375 rebounds, and forward Bruce Hackathorn still holds the record with 218 made field goals. Clark was named first team All-Ohio, and Hackathorn was Honorable Mention.



Senior point guard Glenn Eaton, Sr. forward Vic Garman, and Jr. forward Bob Crable rounded out the usual starting five.

The regular season went very smoothly for the hornets. After an early season loss at home to Garaway, the team won nine straight before losing on the road at Strasburg. There were two close games with Tuslaw that year, both hornet victories, and a close win over Tusky Valley early in the year. East Canton dominated the rest of the schedule, and entered tournament play 16-2.

Double digit wins over United Local, Lowellville, and Lordstown sent the hornets into the district tournament. Resistance in the districts wasn’t much fiercer, as the hornets beat Kent State by nine and McDonald by twenty-two to capture the first district title in school history. The regional tournament was held at the Columbus Fairgrounds. East Canton beat Ridgedale in the semi-finals 70-66, and stood one win away from a birth in the state tournament. Both Clark and Hackathorn were plagued by foul trouble in the game against Pleasant. Both spent significant time on the bench in the middle quarters when Pleasant took control of the game.

East Canton 84, Mogadore 46

I'm proud to be relieved of my duties of writing a story by The Repository. Enjoy the much deserved coverage

http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x1124762127/East-Canton-s-Burfield-dials-it-up-long-range

Here are some stats, opinions, observations..

Burfield tied a school record with 8 3-pointers made. His quest to break the record got a little ridiculous towards the end of the game, chucking 3's from the volleyball lines and under great distress. Coach Swartz of Mogadore handled the situation very well saying, "Were just worried about our team and our defense."

East Canton made 10 3-pointers as a team - Cartwright (2) and Burfield (8) made them all

East Canton went 16/24 from the free throw line compared to Mogadore's 7/19

The defense and intensity is making teams very frustrated. It becomes apparent with the flagrant fouls and trash talking we've been seeing a lot of lately. For the most part, the Hornets have been the bigger men in these altercations.

Smith led the Hornets in rebounding with 9 - Slater added 6 boards and Bradley 5

Cartwright led the Hornets with 6 assists and 3 steals

Tipton led Mogadore in scoring with 11

I love the quote by coach Swartz in The Rep.. "Up until tonight, our strengths have been defense and rebounding, And we thought we’d be able to hold our own. Not tonight.” This was not a bad team the Hornets drilled last night. They had some talent. I would say positive things about their coaching staff too, but these comments have been under scrutiny lately so I'll leave it out. But the Hornets put up 84 points on a team that was priding itself on defense. Could anyone have imagined this after watching is barely scrape by Tusky Valley in game 1?

East Canton had 50 points at halftime. Mogadore finished the game with 46

Scoring for the Hornets... Burfield 34, Bradley 14, Smith 10, Cartwright 8

If you missed the player profile of Joe Cartwright yesterday, make sure you check it out

The JV took a beating from Mogadore's JV group, 77-45. Pennell scored 14 and Shultz & Taylor each had 11 for the Hornets

The Rep photo gallery
http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x426329607/High-School-Sports-Photo-Gallery

The Rep box scores
http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x503201548/High-school-boys-basketball-box-scores-for-Feb-5

The Rep results
http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x1124762170/High-school-boys-basketball-report-for-Feb-5

Player Profile: Joe Cartwright

Joe, a senior, plays the role of defensive stopper for the Hornets. His hustle and intensity are unmatched at the high school level. He averages 8 points per game and is 2nd on the Hornets in 3-point field goal makes. Get to know Joe a little better through our 3rd edition of Player Profiles


Favorite Food? Chicken


Do You Play Any Other Sports? I run track


Favorite Sports Team? Cleveland Cavs


Favorite Schools Class? For the fear of my life, Calculus


Last Book You Read for Entertainment? Holes


Favorite Movie? Anything with Will Ferrell in it


What's in Your CD Player Right Now? Anything Rap or RnB


Who Is Your Role Model? My Brother


Lebron or Kobe? LeBron


Favorite Spurg Quote/Word? "That's not sexy"


Which Excites You the Most: Dunk Shot, Three Pointer or A Charge Taken? A Charge


Most Memorable or Funniest Moment In Athletics? Zell making a deep 3-pointer to put us into overtime against Columbiana


Post High School Aspirations? Go to college to study physical therapy



Coach Spurgeon on Joe “That kid is chiseled from stones found in the primordial ooze”

I would also like to re-hash a conversation I had with Coach Spurgeon at the beginning stages of the season. It went something like this...

Me: Joe really is a special player. He leaves everything he has out on the court and tries to do everything we ask him to do to his full abilities

Spurg: Yeah, if we had 5 Joe Cartwrights we would never lose

Me: We are lucky to have one kid like that

Spurg: Yes we are. Most teams don't have any

Recap: East Canton 63, Tuslaw 59 (Or, Introducing... The Escape Artists)

Harry Houdini had a few acts that would draw fans in droves to witness. He escaped from the Chinese Water Torture Cell (See Tusky Valley for our version of this trick), he escaped handcuffs out of a milk crate (See Sandy Valley for our version of this one) and he would also allow random people to punch him in the abdomen to show he could absorb body blows (See last night's game for the Hornet example). Houdini eventually died from complications from a punch to his gut during one of his acts. And if you don't pay careful attention, history will repeat itself.

The first quarter was a full round of trading blows. After 8 minutes, Tuslaw held a one point lead, 16-15. In the second, East Canton outscored Tuslaw by nine points to take an 8 points lead into half, 25-33. After the third quarter, East Canton had pushed their lead out 3 more points to 39-50. A big play happened with around 5 minutes remaining in the 4th. Bradley got up a full head of steam on a drive, made a lay-up and a Tuslaw defender attempted to take a charge. He got solid contact with Bradley but he appeared to be sliding under him late and be positioned right under the goal. The call, in my opinion, was correctly made to give Bradley the bucket but this is typically a 50-50 call. If it goes the other way, Bradley has four fouls and 3 points come off the board.

The lead stayed in double digits through the first half of the fourth quarter until the Hornets were blindsided by an 8-0 run by the Mustangs in under a minute. Instead of being up 13, the Hornets were now up 5 and Tuslaw was shooting the free throw of the and-1. Tuslaw missed the free throw but recovered their own miss and got fouled again. I'm not a firm believer in karma but the free throw gods evened things out after a few horrific performances from the charity stripe earlier in the year for the Hornets. The Tuslaw player missed both FTs and the Hornets held a 5 point lead, 56-51.

The Hornets got a turnaround fade away jumper by Cartwright to increase the lead to 7. Tuslaw scored quickly and fouled Smith in the back court. He made the front end of the one-and-one and missed the back end. Tuslaw's Getz came down and stroked a long pull-up to cut the lead to 4. Bradley got fouled and stepped to the line for a 1-and-1. He stroked both with precision, 61-55. After a Hammond 3-pointer, the Hornet lead went to 3. With :17 remaining, Tuslaw was able to cause a jump ball on the ensuing possession. The arrow pointed in the Hornets favor. Cartwright then snuck out for a wide open lay-up to seal the game.

Burfield led the Hornets with 17 points, including 5 3-pointers. Bradley had 12 points with 6 coming from his 7 FT attempts. Smith also had 12 (while leading the Hornets with 2 blocks and 3 steals) and Cartwright added 9 points and 6 assists. Tuslaw put three in double-figures: Getz with 16 (10 in the 4th), Hammond with 11, including 3 3-pointers, and Combs with 10.

With all this being said, I pose the question: Was the Tuslaw another game to tighten our abs, help build the Hornets experience and toughness, or did we get our appendix ruptured like another famous escape artist?

The JV was defeated 55-42. Taylor led the way for the EC JV with 14

Things I Think I Think
I think our student section provided an uplifting experience to the Hornets, a coordinated and consistent group. I feel a lot more confident playing Mogadore, Minerva and Streetsboro at home when the Hornets have a true 6th man

I think Tuslaw was very well coached. They had unique schemes that left the Hornets confused and second guessing. I have played hundreds of basketball games in my career and never saw a 1-1-1-1-1 press before. Tuslaw pulled it out last night and pulled it off to get a few turnovers. They also frustrated our motion offense and dribble drive sets with pre-game adjustments that didn't let East Canton run their stuff in the smooth manner (this is debatable) they are normally accustomed to

I think if East Canton wants to keep getting better, they need to play games like last night. I can picture us playing in a similar game, maybe even in the tournament, and the kids and coaches both have a eureka moment: "Hey, I've been here before and I know how this game ends." I saw some "deer in headlights" looks last night, but even Houdini had to have his assistant give him a key to escape a few of his acts
___________________________________

The Rep Results
http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x1090835089/High-school-boys-basketball-report-for-Feb-2

The Rep Box
http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x979444433/High-school-boys-basketball-box-scores-for-Feb-2

Blast From The Past: The 1984 District Champs

By Athletic Director Joe Bogdan



1984: The Arrival Of Coach P

Future all time wins leader Joe Pangrazio arrived at East Canton in the fall of 1983. He inherited a talented team led by senior All-Ohioan Tony Moldovan and senior point guard Tom Crank. This combination produced immediate results, as the Hornets would post a 17-3 regular season and win the first Senate League title since the ’71 team. Coach Pangrazio’s first edition of the Hornets would end the season ranked ninth in the state. They were ranked #1 on January 10th, an East Canton first. Tony Moldovan led the offense by averaging a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds per game. Tom Crank set single season records for assists (215) and steals (84) that still stand today. Tom also graduated as the career leader in those two categories.

Coach Pangrazio subjected his players to twice a day practices as his August hiring had left little time for summer workouts. Moldovan and Crank, along with Lonnie Horton, Rich Tharp, and Don Shimek took to his running style of play very quickly. The Hornets got out of the gate well, losing only a road game to Sebring during the season’s first half. The second half of the season brought similar results, with only a one point loss to Claymont and a four point loss to Minerva blemishing the record.

East Canton clinched the Senate League title on the road at Lake late in the season. Tony Moldovan put an exclamation point on the evening by running a perfect back door play for a slam as time expired.

The Hornets avenged their loss to Sebring in the tournament, and faced a very talented Woodridge team in the district finals. Woodridge came in averaging nearly 90 points per game, but East Canton held them to just 54 points, winning the title 72-54.

The Hornets faced Skyvue at the Canton Field House in the regional semi-finals, falling 63-53.



Pictured above: Tom Crank
Below: Tony Moldovan

East Canton 85, Woodridge 45

Game No. 13 At East Canton (Student Body Theme: Nerd Night)

What Happened: Domination, plain and simple

The Star: Zell Bradley - 18 points (8 in the second quarter) and 7 assists

The Co-Star: Sam Elseser – Season high in points with 13, including 6-6 on FTs

Highlight: Aaron Kennedy nailed a 3-pointer near the end of the game to make the Hornet lead 40 points even

Lowlight: In the 4th quarter, Whitacre pulled off a 3 step travel on a fast break. With the game out of reach, it became a comical moment. I'm fairly positive it would have even have been called in the NBA.

Tidbits

-East Canton went 24/28 from the free throw line. It's nice to have such a solid performance from the foul line since the Hornets have struggled as a team shooting fouls at other points in the season. Sam and Burfield both made all 6 of their attempts.

--85 points is East Canton's high for the year. Woodridge did not put a single player in double figures. This is also the first time the Hornets have not allowed an opposing team to put a single player in double figures

---East Canton forced 27 turnovers and only committed 10. The defensive intensity and commitment was relentless and undeniable.

----Burfield scored 22 points and 6 steals. 13 of his points came in the first quarter. Smith and Cartwright each contributed 9

-----With 5:07 remaining in the 3rd quarter, Bradley was fouled on a shot attempt. It resulted in him hitting the floor and a Woodridge player falling on top of him. The fall of the Woodridge player was actually more of a Yokozuna “Bonzai Splash.” Several East Canton players tried to help clear Bradley of the Woodridge player who took offense to being removed from the pile so quickly. The Woodridge player earned a technical for a petty shove but all the Hornets kept their composure.

------Coach Spurgeon was on "Stark Sports Talk Live"this morning. He referred to Smith as "The Master of The Half Inch" for his rebounding prowess and Burfield as a "five tool player"for his overall game improvement.

-------13-0. Tuslaw at home on Tuesday. Student body is having a "black out." Bzzzzzzzzzz


The JV was defeated 49-34. Shultz, Kennedy and Taylor all hit double figures in points

Editors Note: Look for Sam Gilbert in the background of the Bonzai video jumping up and down

A Free-Press article recapping the Waterloo and Woodridge games
http://www.the-press-news.com/news/slideshow/4762112

Recap: East Canton 56, Waterloo 37 (Or, The Battle of Waterloo)

Overview: The Hornets started slow but gained momentum due to a maximum defensive effort. They never looked back after gaining the lead and pushed their record to 12-0

Summary: Down 14-9 after one quarter, the Hornets used a stingy defense to solidify their lead before half. Momentum swung in the second with a 5-0 run by Bradley alone. An “oops” banked three-pointer followed by a steal and score did the trick. Allowing only 2 Waterloo points and scoring 16 of their own, the Hornets took a nine point lead into half.

Into the 3rd, an Elseser 3-pointer doubled up the score, 32-16. Smith banged in a 3-pointer of his own a few possessions later to push the lead to 38-18, and give the Hornets a run from the second into the third quarter of 27-4.

In the 4th quarter tragedy struck. The only casualty of our Battle of Waterloo happened to Burfield's two front teeth. Diving for a loose ball, two of Burfield's teeth were chipped off. Looking deeper into this, for East Canton's leading scorer to be on the floor for a loose ball up 25 points says a lot of the make up of this team. Did he have to sacrifice for this ball? No. Would the majority of the guys of the Hornets scrappy bunch do the same? Absolutely. That's part of the reason this group is so darn special.

Moving on, Smith tied Bradley for the leading scorer with 15. Bradley also contributed 5 steals and 5 assists. Burfield had 12 points, including three 3-pointers, and Slater grabbed 8 rebounds. The leading scorer for Waterloo was #40. On this blog he will be referred to not by name, but by the nickname I have coined, “Excessive Accessorizer.” Sporting a white headband, a black arm sleeve, a white under t-shirt, two pairs of Nike crew length socks on each foot and two black unstrapped ankle braces, he managed to eke out 11 points. Without his gear aiding his effort, I bet he only goes for 5-7 points.

The JV team lost a heart-breaker to Waterloo to even their record at 6-6. Tyler Aller scored his first bucket of the season at the buzzer leaving the Hornets short, 48-49. Leading the way in the scoring column for East Canton was Kennedy with 15 and Pennell with 10

Bits of Randomness
Waterloo went 1 of 3 from the foul line for the game. Kudos to the Hornets for not putting their opponent in the bonus as they seem to do early and often in games

I overheard the Waterloo cheerleaders asking if Elseser and Whitacre were twins. The correct answer is “no, but they are both frizzy-haired sophomores”

Slater did it again. This time after a skirmish for a rebound, he ripped the ball away from a Waterloo player and tried to shoot it all in one motion. The shot came no where close but was an amusing and random effort

Hive Trivia
The first person who can tell me who fought in the real Battle of Waterloo and who the commanding generals were will receive a complimentary Hive t-shirt

(Editors note: Just tell me the answer. I don't need a history lesson because I already know the answer. And using the copy and paste method from Wikepedia will not impress anyone but is acceptable)


Here is an exclusive picture The Hive obtained of Burfield after chipping his teeth


________________________________________

Rep photos from the home game against Windham

http://cantonrep.mycapture.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=929944&CategoryID=55302&view=1

Here are some additional links to articles about some previous games. They were contributed by Sam Gilbert

http://www.recordpub.com/news/sports_article/4749382

http://www.fallsnewspress.com/news/article/4736022

East Canton 63, Windham 49

I am not a professional writer (I only use big words to give that appearance). The Rep sent someone out to the game last night who actually gets paid to write. So treat yourself to a real story.

http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x1090817159/East-Canton-is-11-0-for-the-first-time-after-topping-Windham
__________________________________


Tidbits
The leading scorer for the Hornets was Burfield with 22, including 5 3-pointers. Watching him hold his follow through after a nothing-but-netter, I can't help but think about the saying my parents would say to me when I made an ugly face as a child: “If you make that face too long, it's going to get stuck like that.” Ryan, I love watching you hold your follow through after a stroke to reaffirm your shooting superiority to all the rest of us, but please don't get stuck like that. We've already had too many injury scares.

The JV team got another win, beating Windham 55-47. Scoring for the Hornets was Shultz and Taylor with 14 and Whitacre with 13. If the varsity keeps winning, stories in the newspapers will start to be a regular thing. That means I won't have to write the story lines for the varsity, having the luxury of only giving my insight. Maybe the JV will get a little more love with less time being spent describing the varsity...

Windham didn't have their varsity coach for the game last night. He was ejected during the JV game for reasons I'm not sure of. Who has details on this?

The Hornets really rely heavily on 3-point shooting. Through 11 games, East Canton has made 18 more 3-pointers than their opponents. They have made 69 total, a 6.27 per game average. However, no two man group of Hornets can beat the coaches in a 3-point shoot out.

I'm wagging my finger at the East Canton student section. I found it silly for East Canton's student body to even engage the Windham faithful. Hornet fans traded chants with a traveling group of about 1 ½ rows of students. Be loud, creative, inspiring, and all that but don't feel the need to overpower a weaker group just because you can. You look more like a bully than anything else. I know you have never cheered for an 11-0 team before, but sometimes you got to be a snob. Now that I'm done criticizing, who has pictures of the white out I can post? Send em to eastcantonhive@gmail.com