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


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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
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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

Blast From The Past: Bup Crumrine

Bub Crumrine played for the Hornets from 1998-2001. In 63 total varsity games he tallied 706 points, an 11.2 average. He was versatile scorer who could hit the long shot (56 career 3FGs), dribble-drive and beat defenders with post-ups. His 6-2 frame lent itself to this versatility.

He was featured in The Rep on Thursday, March 15, 2001 for his play in the district tournament of that year. He had two solid games at Struthers against the one and two seeds in the tournament. When East Canton defeated Sebring, he had 25 points in the 44-48 victory. Against North Lima South Range in his next game, he made a game winning 3-pointer off of a screen. He scored 25 points while eliminating South Range.

The then head coach, Spaulding said this to The Rep about Crumrine: "He was a phenomenal offensive player who improved his defense. He was focused and really stepped up his senior season."


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In other news, the Hornets are up to 4th in the latest D3 polls. No vote changing, Hive pollsters

Recap: East Canton 77, Garfield 62 (Or, That Could Have Gone A Lot Better)

Overview: After an even first half, East Canton's superior athleticism and talent prevailed over Garfield in the second.

Summary: The value of Josh Smith has never been more clear. Nursing a sore ankle, Smith was held out of Saturday night's contest. It seemed that East Canton couldn't get the loose balls they normally do. They couldn't get the offensive rebounds they normally do. They didn't finish on the baseline as well as they normally do. I attribute a lot of this to Smith's absence.

Slater stepped into the starting lineup with Smith out. He made the most of his start with 21 points and 9 rebounds. Burfield matched Slater's output with 21 of his own. The two combined for 19 points in the decisive 3rd quarter. Cartwright had 4 assists (team high) to go with his 12 points. The leading scorer off the bench was Campbell with 12.

Holding a 3 point lead at half, the Hornets came out for the third and methodically wore down Garfield, slowly growing the lead bit by bit. It got up to around 20 and East Canton was able to cruise to the finish. Still, the game has to be considered a let down. Granted, it was was third game of the week and Smith was out but the Hornets didn't play like an undefeated team or a state ranked team.


The JV got a nice come from behind win to move their record to 5-5. In the 53-43 victory, Pennell scored 20, Shultz 12 and Taylor 11.

Things I Think I Think
I think the question that arose at Mogadore of “who's going to tackle #20” was answered last night. At the far side of the court, a scramble for a loose ball led to a Slater/Bradley collision. As to who got the better of it, I'm not sure Slater is aware he was in collision

I think the student section picked a good theme. The white out was full of energy and fun to watch. I'm surprised to see that the numbers for the student section were down from the opening home game. In contrast, attendance as whole seems to be increasing.

I think Slater is more effective playing with an undershirt. T-shirt Slater is scoring 14ppg, up 6 points from his non-T average

A Free-Press article recapping the Hornets last 3 games. They even referred to us as the Wizards
http://www.the-press-news.com/news/slideshow/4752176
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Rep Box Score
http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x1560345180/High-school-boys-basketball-box-scores-for-Jan-16

Rep Results
http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x1301081493/High-school-boys-basketball-report-for-Jan-16

Recap: East Canton 70, Streetsboro 62 (Or, A Tale Of Two Halves)

Overview: East Canton's strong second quarter led to a 18 point half time lead. Streetsboro came back in the second half with heavy pressure, chipping the lead all the way down to 2 in the final minutes. The Hornets hung on, surviving another challenge to their undefeated record.

Summary: If you read this blog on a regular basis (all the tens of you), your familiar with with the emphasis on the lack of a killer instinct which has been referenced often. This ability was on full display Friday night. The first quarter was a feeling out quarter. East Canton seemed in shock or overly psyched up towards the beginning of the game. I might attribute this to the sellout crowd at Streetsboro or the pressure of the polls. Either or neither way, after one quarter the score was 16-14.

The Hornets smelled blood in the second quarter, outscoring the Rockets 29-13. They seemed to be the agressor, getting all the loose balls and dominating the glass on both ends. Burfield was doing his typical work with 17 in first half (he ended with 23) and Slater, with his feathery touch, scored 14 of his 15 for the game in the second period. Streetsboro's Jay Lugo was in foul trouble in the first half and was unable to play extended minutes or be very aggressive.

Streetsboro opened the third quarter by letting East Canton know that they were not going to lay down. They picked up man-to-man in the full court and really bothered East Canton with their pressure and traps. This is the first time all year any team has been able to put the Hornets on their heels with extended pressure. East Canton seemed to be surprised that their half time lead wasn't insurmountable. Frankly, they weren't ready for the heat Streetsboro brought. In the third quarter Streetsboro cut the lead to 8 to get back within striking distance.

By the 5:06 mark in the fourth East Canton's lead was all the way down to two. Fouls and foul shots had a lot to do with the finish of this contest. With under 4 minutes remaining, and the score 60-63, a questionable foul call led to free throws. The player fouled had to be replaced after suffering from leg cramps. His substitute shooter missed the front end of the 1 and 1. Then again with 3 minutes remaining, Streetsboro missed another front end of a 1-and=1 with the same score.

Smith was fouled with 2:35 remaining and converted 1 of 2 FT's. I offer a quick word on Smith. He hurt his ankle against Rootstown and had not practiced in either of the 2 practices since that game. It was unclear if he could play in the game but tested out the ankle in warm-ups and started the Streetsboro game. He came up lame in the 3rd quarter but returned in the 4th under dire circumstances and effectively finished the game. He scored only 9 points but it was a gutty, Willis Reed-like, sacrifice for the team (Yes, I did just make that comparison).

After Smith's FT's, Lugo knocked down a 15 footer to cut the lead to two. Streetsboro stole the ball but Bradley took a charge to give the ball back to EC. Slater converted 1 of 2 FT's to push the lead back to 3. Streetsboro wouldn't score again the rest of the night. Cartwright hit Smith to push the lead to five and Bradley finished it off with ¾ FT's. Bradley had a rough ball-handling night but scored (11 points), passed (6 assists) and converted FT's (7/8) in such a manner to have a solid night.

The JV lost to Streetsboro by a score of 44-58. Shultz scored 18 points for the second straight game and Kennedy added 14.

Bits Of Randomness
In the 4th quarter Slater grabbed a loose ball and wanted to go up for a score. However, two Rockets were holding onto some of the ball and a lot of his arms. He went up for the shot and the ball barely left his hands but the two Rockets, hanging on for dear life, were hoisted up in the air like rag dolls. The play resulted in a jump ball but I enjoyed the show of brute strength.

Jay Lugo led Streetsboro with 18 points, 10 of which coming in the 3rd quarter

East Canton hit 6 3-pointers compared to Streetsboro only hitting 1

The scrappiness was on full display last night. It was shown by Cartwright's ever present defensive impact, Bradley's 5 steals (and 2 charges taken) , Slater's 11 rebounds and Smith's 9 rebounds

http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x1672013557/High-school-boys-basketball-results-for-Jan-15

Recap: East Canton 68, Rootstown 55 (Or, Bradley Finishes What Burfield Started, With Folly In Between)

Overview: After a torrid start, East Canton cooled off to let Rootstown back in the game. A strong finish led East Canton to their 8th straight win.

Summary: A 26-13 first quarter made the Ohio Division 3 polls look eerily prescient early on. After the Hornets followed that quarter up with with a whopping 3 points in the second, the rankings showed through to be what they really are, more or less bunk. During the 26 point first quarter outburst Burfield netted 16 points including four 3-pointers. This prompted the Rovers to face guard him the rest of the way out. It proved to be successful with Burfield not getting a single point the rest of the game on limited shot attempts. In the second quarter, which East Canton only scored 3 points, Rootstown scored 9 to make it a 29-22 halftime score.

The third quarter had a few bright spots, some let downs and few moments of intrigue within. A bright spot was Elseser going on a 5-0 run by himself in about :10. An and 1 followed by a steal and score did the trick. A Let down was the one possession of zone the Hornets tried to whip out. It was rudely greeted by a wide open 3 ball that was cashed in. Both moments of intrigue surrounded Rootstown's coach. A group block out by several Rover players was whistled for a foul. Their coach then unleashed a lengthy diatribe in one of the refs ear for several seconds. Either his words didn't match his demeanor, or the ref just had long fuse. On another occasion, after the Rovers made an and 1 while on a run of their own, their coach was inspired to give a Tiger Woods-like fist pump. I don't mind the show of emotion but there were no green jackets to hand out to the winners.

In the third quarter each team scored exactly 20 points leaving the score 49-42. The fourth quarter became Bradley's quarter. Dishes, drives and defense from the senior kept the game in check. He didn't try to do too much and it may not have been that obvious to the casual viewer, but he was dominating the game in a low-key way. He finished the game with stat sheet stuffing 12 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds in securing the victory.

Burfield, after being worn like a shirt by Rover defenders for 2 ½ quarters due to his blazing start, finally got a look with a little under 3 minutes remaining. It was a slow developing play and was going to be an obvious 3-point attempt for the junior. He was almost visually salivating to get the trey off but left the shot a full foot short. Though not a shining moment, I have to think it was a great moment for maturing. I'm not sure if that is the first time he has ever been face guarded for an extended period of time but I can confidently guarantee, with his abilities, it won't be the last. Personal game development, better coaching adjustments and experiences like this will make similar circumstances [choose your own cheesy cliché line: like a walk in the park, a piece of cake, or like clockwork].

Rootstown was led in scoring by Jordan Jonier with 19. As a team they made 9 3-pointers but took some outrageously long attempts, converting a few. If I had Synergy Sports and pulled up the data for some of these shots, I think the computer might start to weep before blowing up its monitor in an attempt to free me from viewing the data. but more power to em for the courage to pull so deep. Also contributing for East Canton was Cartwright with 10 points and 5 steals. Campbell added 11, Smith 7, Slater 6 and Elseser 6 more.


The JV notched another win to push their record to 4-4. Shultz led the way with 18 points including 8-10 from the foul line. Down two with around a minute to go “Long Distance Dillon” buried a three pointer to give East Canton the lead they would never relinquish. Taylor added 9 for the Hornets and Kennedy 8.

Things I Think I Think
I think East Canton has some of the most drastic peaks and valleys of any team. I know why the Hornets have the peaks - hot perimeter shooting but more so a scoring defense. I can't really figure out what is causing the valleys. A lack of intensity due to fatigue? Stagnant offense? Poor shot selection? Or something I'm completely missing. Feel free to weigh in on this Hive faithful

I think the game with Streetsboro (Also unbeaten in the conference) on Friday is a tell-tale sign of this teams fate. The Hornets have beaten the rest of the conference (Excluding Garfield which they will meet Saturday at home) with most of those wins coming on the road. An away victory this Friday puts East Canton in the drivers seat of the PTC-County Division

I think the state ranking bestowed upon the team can is a gift and a curse. It gives the recognition the team deserves but puts a huge bulls-eye on the teams back in all future contests. Speaking of the rankings, don't forget the check out the Hive's latest poll on the right hand side of page

Healthy Debate #1

In your opinion, who would you want to take an end of game shot if the score was tied or East Canton was down 1?


Please be respectful with your answers

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The Rep ran an article on East Canton's great start. Hopefully some more much deserved coverage will come our way.

http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x1793479244/High-school-boys-basketball-East-Canton-is-creating-a-buzz-in-the-PTC
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Also, the first Hive poll has come to a close. Here are the results....

How many regular season games will the Hornets win this season?
48 total votes

3 voters, or 6% of voters, say they will win under 8 games

0 voters picked them to win between 9-11 games

16 voters, or 33% of voters, say the Hornets will win between 12-15 games

and 29 voters , or 60% of voters, say the Horntes will win 16+ games

Thanks for your votes! Look for a new poll soon

Links to the Present 1/7

The Rep published their first area statistical breakdown.

http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x1793475508/High-school-basketball-statistics-for-Jan-6

Here is a summary of where our players rank

Burfield
6th in Scoring at 18.1 ppg
12th in 3-point % at .341
6th in Free Throw % at .761
T-22 in Assists at 3.2 apg

Bradley
21st in Scoring at 13.3 ppg
T-22 in Assists at 3.2 apg

Smith
24th in Scoring at 12.2
5th in Rebounds Per Game at 9.0
21st in Field Goal % at .518

Standing out to me is Michael Brown of Louisville with a 19/9/5 stat line and high shooting %s

Remaining Unbeaten Teams: East Canton, Hiland, Dover and Hoover
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600 Wins For Davis
http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x370515098/High-school-girls-basketball-report-for-Jan-6-East-Cantons-Tom-Davis-gets-600th-win
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I'm a producer of a new sports radio show that debuts this Saturday @ 12 noon on 1480 WHBC... Learn more about The Sports Time Machine with these links

http://www.sportstimemachine.net/

http://sportstimemachine.blogspot.com/
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Editor Note: This graph is missing stats from one game this season

Recap: East Canton 70, Mogadore 58 (Or, Flagrants, Taunts and Technicals, Oh My!)

Overview: East Canton was in control the majority of the game but they were unable to ever put the game out of reach. A strong last few minutes made the difference again.

Summary: At the conclusion of each quarter, East Canton held a lead of at least nine but no more than 12 points. This tells me that the Hornets controlled the game and were comfortable for the most part, but it also says that the Hornets were unable to finish off their opponent.

My first impressions of Mogadore is that they are a well-coached and fairly disciplined team. They had a mix of kids that ranged from being able to handle and put the ball in the basket to some other kids that were a little rougher around the edges. Their screen switching and ability to handle East Canton's press made the Hornets adjust. They were led by Ryan Tarter, a smooth ball-handling lead guard. He threw in 20 points including a series of impressive spinning drives. Kody Chance also had 16 for Mogadore, mostly on medium to long-range jump shots. The Mogadore student section looked like they had some potential to be disruptive but lacked a cohesive synergy. Some painted faces and player taunting but overall poor organization.

East Canton gave a very balanced offensive performance. Cartwright led with 15 points. His dribble drive was effective but he left points at the foul line. Slater added 14 points and 11 rebounds in his best overall game of the year. Burfield had 13 points including 3 three-pointers, but also had an uncharacteristic 7 turnovers. Bradley played a complete game with 10 points, 4 assists, 4 steals and a consistent breakdown of Mogadore's defense.

Picking things up in the fourth, Mogadore had cut East Canton's double-digit lead down to 3, 55-52. Bradley was fouled and knocked down two clutch free throws with under 3 minutes. On a Wildcat miss, Slater was then fouled on the rebound with 1:59 to play. With East Canton already in the double bonus, he converted both free throw attempts to push the lead to 7. After a Mogadore 2-point conversion, the Hornets got a timely play from Slater. A layup plus a foul was just what the Hornets needed. The much deserved technical foul that ensued for unsportsmanlike taunting was what they didn't need. This was Slater's fifth foul and an obvious loss of composure. He stayed on to shoot his "plus the harm" free throw which he was unable to convert. Mogadore made 1 of the 2 technical free throws.

The Hornets got another big play when Stuart Campbell took a charge with a little over a minute remaining. The Wildcats were then forced to foul Cartwright who was able to convert 1 of 2 free throws. A jump ball gave the ball back to the Hornets. On the side inbound, Burfield found a wide open Cartwright under the rim who made the basket after absorbing a flagrant foul. Defying conventional thought, the refs awarded Joe only two shots instead of one shot for the and 1, and 2 more for the flagrant. He missed both shots but the Hornets still had a 9 point lead.

Kody Chance hit a three for Mogadore which cut the lead to 6. Joe was fouled again on the inbound and converted both free throws with :46 remaining. Bradley closed the game out with 2 steals that led to points. The Hornets finished the game on a 15-6 run to improve to 7-0. Next up, Garfield at home on Friday.

The JV lost to Mogadore 43-50. Scoring for the JV team has Shultz with 12, Pennell with 11 and Taylor with 10

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From the Rep
http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x370513053/High-school-boys-basketball-results-for-Jan-5

http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x370513044/High-school-boys-basketball-report-for-Jan-5

A Free-Press article recapping the game
http://www.the-press-news.com/news/article/4746897

Player Profile: Brandon Slater

The 6'0", 220 pound post currently averages 7.4 points per contest in his senior season. Aside from basketball, Brandon plays baseball and excelled for the Hornet football team. As a football team captain, Brandon earned all-PTC honors at offensive guard and defensive nose-tackle. As a basketball player, Brandon has a feathery touch that makes him a very capable 3-point and free throw shooter. Known as a clutch performer, Brandon sent the first game of the season against Tusky Valley into overtime with his buzzer beating offensive rebound put back. Get to know Brandon a little better through his player profile.


Favorite food? Mashed potatoes with gravy and corn

What other sports do you play? Football and baseball

Favorite sports team? Minnesota Vikings because of Brett Favre

Favorite class in school? History

Last book you read for entertainment? Assassin's Shadow

Favorite movie? The Lion King

What's in your CD player right now? Awake-Skillet

Who is your role model? Steve Moore

Lebron or Kobe? Kobe

What's your favorite Spurgeon quote? When he is telling a story and the momentum dies he usually ends it by saying, "and like, ummmmm - yeah"

Most memorable moment in athletics? My winning shot against Mogadore in 8th grade

What are you post high school aspirations? Go to college for communications and maybe play football


Coach Spurgeon on Brandon:

"Brandon plays the game with a unique combination of strength, toughness, intense play and soft hands."

"He can really be a bull on the offensive boards."