Sunday, February 14, 2010

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

14 comments:

Ken Reeves said...

Just a few thoughts from outside looking in-
1. Phenomenal job Joe Cartwright! It was a pleasure to watch that left handed magic.
2. I look forward to reading the AD observations from his nice cushy chair on the sidelines. Hope it wasn't too crowded for you over there.
3. A big thank you to Burfield for putting the final nail in Coach Tucci's meltdown. I always take pleasure in watching him set a positive example for his team. For those who did not see it or were not there: Cartwright was continuously put in 3 pointer after 3-pointer. Then Burfield came off a screen and drained a pretty 3ball. This made Tucci call timeout and throw his jacket at the bench like a 3 year old throwing a toy in a fit of anger. I laughed for 2 minutes!
4. We are way to fast at the guard position. Can no one stop number 20?
5. Slater's raging bull layup was nice. No one was willing to take that charge.
6. Nice to see the referees haven't change in Malvern in a decade. Enjoy your dinner with Tucci.
7. Student section- Good presence but not enough chants last night. Get loud-every game should feel like a home game to our players.
8. I know some fans were upset that the student section stood the entire game. Let's not cry about something we have wanted for a long time. These students deserve to cheer and get loud. They mean no disrespect. It was a product of Malvern herding us in like cattle. Thanks to the AD and Superintendent for trying help and make people happy.
9. That gym was so hot I lost 5 ponds. Best diet ever.
10. BZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!

Anonymous said...

thanks Ken for putting this post in the correct post... not going to let you get away with it. haha I know you thought you did!!!

Matt Hackenberg said...

This post should have been titles - The Night Joe Cartwright Went Teen Wolf

Sam Gilbert said...

News, Notes, and Observations from my corner of the gym:

1. The seats were amazing. They were very comfortable. Ken looked much less comfy standing against the wall 3/4 of the way up the aisle....maybe if you were nicer to the AD.

2. Students were great. They were very cooperative when I originally arranged them and again when they were re-arranged at the half. The game is for them and there was NO WAY they were going to be required to sit down unless I was fired and replaced on the spot. (coincidentally, I think that was the exact recommendation of the VERY PLEASANT fan who was shocked she couldn't see when she took her seat behind 150 high school students.

3. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN NUMBER ONE: Coach Tucci did not melt down, nor did he act like a baby, nor did he embarrass Tyler. All of the things you all have blogged really happened are completely true, but they are far from unusual. I have seen his jacket hit much higher up on the wall. In his younger days he would have stomped up and down far more viciously. He has tossed things much heavier than a score book. However, it is all part of what he does. Malvern loves it, his players love it, even the scorekeeper loves it...trust me. His action become very tired if you are the opponent's fan, but he knows what he is doing. It is ALL on purpose. To use a very common phrase on The Hive "they are well coached".

4. None of #3/should have been #1 in any way kept me from taking great pleasure in watching Super Joe go absolutely berserk from behind the line without ever changing facial expressions. I am very glad it happened at the opposite end of the floor or I would have been caught on film at least 5 times being on the playing surface pumping my fist like I just won the Masters. The greatest moment for the greatest kid on the greatest stage. I told him earlier in the day to enjoy the moment and embrace it because good or bad it would be one of the games we talked about 20 years from now........WOW, he REALLY took me at my word. That kid will never have to pay for a meal in any restaurant I am ever in.

5. Our bench was waaaaay better than their bench. They had a horrible time on both ends anytime they subbed, and we never missed a beat. Great job by the role players.

Favorite Moment: after Joe's 5th three (and the coat tossing time-out) Burfield hit one in front of the Malvern students as they encouraged him to shoot it. Follow through left in the air entirely too long.....it was heart warming.

Least Favorite Moment: a big BOO to the assistant coaches for not letting Spurge know when it is time to sub. It his job to be into the action as he was, and no coach ever feels a lead is safe there (see foul discrepancy every time they are home). Right hand men need to get guys like Joe out.

Best real basketball moment: the entire second half where we carved them up like thanksgiving turkey off the dribble. Slater and Josh were there usual beasts, and WELCOME BACK GOOD STEW! Made some nice moves and was aggressive on both ends....a big key for a tourney run of any length.

Worst real basketball moment: the entire first half where Tyler Tucci got into the lane and to the basket at will. It is not unusual to be caught off guard the first couple possessions (he is much quicker and more savvy than he first appears), but we have to readjust much more quickly to our opponents strengths....can't afford to wait until halftime against the much stronger and deeper opponents that await.

Sam Gilbert said...

By winning the 50th edition of the Battle of the Hornets, the Good Hornets move to 35-15 against the Green Hornets. I happened to come across all the scores and included them here:

1939-40 Malvern 31 27
1944-45 Malvern 58 22
1946-47 Malvern 52 36
1946-47 Malvern 58 23
1960-61 Malvern 99 40
1960-61 Malvern 69 29
1961-62 Malvern 60 54
1961-62 Malvern 57 38
1962-63 Malvern 55 57
1962-63 Malvern 58 62
1963-64 Malvern 58 54
1963-64 Malvern 62 38
1964-65 Malvern 40 33
1964-65 Malvern 74 46
1965-66 Malvern 81 40
1965-66 Malvern 74 63
1966-67 Malvern 66 55
1967-68 Malvern 73 52
1979-80 Malvern 63 49
1980-81 Malvern 61 41
1981-82 Malvern 45 52
1982-83 Malvern 82 71
1983-84 Malvern 53 27
1984-85 Malvern 63 34
1985-86 Malvern 57 56
1986-87 Malvern 66 58
1987-88 Malvern 71 52
1988-89 Malvern 96 67
1989-90 Malvern 70 68
1990-91 Malvern 65 55
1991-92 Malvern 68 70
1992-93 Malvern 55 64
1993-94 Malvern 57 78
1994-95 Malvern 85 66
1995-96 Malvern 63 61
1996-97 Malvern 52 47
1997-98 Malvern 52 54
1998-99 Malvern 48 44
1999-00 Malvern 59 78
2000-01 Malvern 41 48
2001-02 Malvern 50 55
2002-03 Malvern 71 52
2003-04 Malvern 65 51
2004-05 Malvern 62 65
2005-06 Malvern 50 68
2006-07 Malvern 46 63
2007-08 Malvern 57 88
2008-09 Malvern 61 78
2009-10 Malvern 73 56

pretty sure you can read the last few years and put to bed any notion that Malvern should feel we were trying to run up the score.

Sam Gilbert said...

Hornets claimed the outright league title friday night, the 15th league title in the program's history. I know a guy, who knows a guy, who introduced me to a guy who loves basketball history, and he gave me the other Hornet league titles:

1944-45 Stark “B” 19-4 Bob Schreck
1946-47 Stark “B” 21-3 Bob Schreck
1955-56 Stark “AA” 12-4 John Tatta
1958-59 Senate 14-5 Dan Dowling
1960-61 Senate 17-3 Dan Dowling
1963-64 Senate 13-6 Gene Sollie
1965-66 Senate 16-5 Gene Sollie
1966-67 Senate 19-4 Gene Sollie
1969-70 Senate 20-2 Bob Jordan
1970-71 Senate 22-3 Bob Jordan
1983-84 Senate 21-4 Joe Pangrazio
1989-90 Principal’s Athletic 18-4 Joe Pangrazio
1990-91 Principal’s Athletic 17-5 Joe Pangrazio
1996-97 Principal’s Athletic 16-6 Joe Pangrazio
2009-10 Portage Trail Chad Spurgeon

Anonymous said...

Great Job Hornets!!

Tucci should have left his Jacket on....I didn't know they still made short sleeve dress shirts....isn't "short sleeved dress shirt" an oxymoron?

Probably the only time he out-dressed the opposing coach all year.

Ken Reeves said...

I want to make one recommendation. Whatever Mrs Cartwright fed Joe before the game, all the guys should eat it before the game against Minerva. All I have to say about throwing the coat is I have seen a coach hit a table, stomp his foot, throw a towel, and yell at a player, but never have I watched a coach actually begin to disrobe in anger. Thank goodness Joe didn't hit another 3 pointer because the dress shirt might have flown. It seemed at the end Tucci was so upset at his assistants about the technical he sat at the other end if the bench. He can get away with a lot in Malvern but I don't think he can get away with assaulting his coaches.
I failed to mention big bad Stu in my earlier post. Stu I am truly sorry for that. Stu came in and made some very nice moves in the post to score points. I look forward to him battling the big guys from here on out.

Matt Hackenberg said...

Sam,

Just because Tucci's behavior has become common does not make it any less childish. Or, to the height which he throws things or weight of the objects thrown has no bearing on on whether this behavior should be condoned or excused. When I was younger (at least a month ago), I would get upset while playing video games and yell at the screen or throw the controller. Just because I got upset often didn't make the behavior any less ridiculous. My parents would even overlook the behavior sometimes because I was out of control, much like the Malvern fans do. Now I know Tucci does not control his players with a controller, but he is the leader of that team, the guiding hand. To set that example to the kids in inexcusable.

And as an opposing fan, I didn't become tired of his actions, I was entertained. But I also wasn't the one getting hit in the head with a score book or publicly shamed. I can also tell you that the score keeper didn't love it. From the expletive laced rant I overheard it seemed quite the contrary.

Granted, The Tucci Tantrums seemed to be a game to get more calls or just to be seen. Just like the substitution crap he pulled at the end. He is thinking: we have no chance at winning this game anymore so I'm going to be seen and try to make the opposing coach look bad by pointing out that he didn't observe my surrender. Well, sorry Tucci for being so wrapped up in actually coaching, instead of having public displays of attention, that we missed your white flag. And his kids are well coached. Very well coached! Maybe one day the EC staff will be talented enough to have a well coached team (we do have this), cry to the officials, throw objects with no regard to where they land, entertain the crowd and publicly shame our kids all at the same time. Until then I think we should just keep it classy.

And Ken, nice point on Stu. His flashes of brilliance have been showing up more and more often.

Anonymous said...

East Canton deserved to win that game, they played harder, their student section was louder and they just played the game of basketball better than Malvern did. Right from the get go East Canton played harder and it showed. Malvern's score keeper isn't going anywhere anytime soon, I promise you that. Coach Tucci must be setting a positive example SOMEWHERE.. hence the fact that he's still coaching and oh, he wins, not just in regular season but in tournements too. If I remember correctly, he's made it to the Field House quite alot, it's too bad East Canton will be taking their spot this year though, ha. Also, if you've EVER watched Malvern play ANYBODY, Coach Tucci ALWAYS takes his coat off in games, it's just a matter of how soon into the game and how viciously he does. Joe Cartwright and the Hornet's had a fantastic game, bring that mentality and you'll beat Minerva too. Props to the JV as well, they had a varsity crowd and played great. In all essence, East Canton proved who the REAL hornets of Stark County are and showed that they wear BLUE and GOLD. Great job boys!

Anonymous said...

Winning is one thing. Winning with class is a much better way to claim a victory

Anonymous said...

Are there any other players besides Shultz on the JV team? I am sure he did not score all the points those nights?

Anonymous said...

GREAT JOB HORNETS!

Anonymous said...

Way to go hornets!!!!!!!!!!!!!