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.
)
)
)
9 comments:
News, Notes, and Observations:
1. East Canton AD definitely planted that seed in Coach Locke's ear Saturday at Malvern. No only did he say Zell flops once a game, he predicted he would do it to Ryker. Zell's flops are definitely infuriating to opponents and also annoying to the AD who prefers a more manly approach to taking charges, but it is up to the refs to recognize it, and T him up.
2. If there was any doubt how this team would react to having the 3 taken away from them, the last 6 quarters have shown that they will simply grind away at their opponent for inside looks, and D it up like crazy. The majority of the remaining games will resemble last night far more that any other game played so far.
Favorite Moment: Josh Smith being T'd for standing up and looking very mean.
Least Favorite Moment: When Spurge took the same towel that had cleaned the floor (twice), the white board (four times), and his head (twice) and wiped his face off before inserting it into his mouth Jerry Tarkanian style (look it up young ones).
When confronted with this information at breakfast, the replay was (and I know this belongs in the other post): "Germs are tiny. What are they going to do to me? It is like two ants taking on an elephant"
The towel look is very John Thompson-like too...
I thought I heard a Minerva fan say Zell is a "Black Vlade Divac" for his flopping... Or maybe I just heard it in my own head.
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
Go Hornets!!!
Zell's black?
I give Minerva credit. They wanted to take away the open looks for 3s and they did it. Watching Burfield trying to shake his twin during the first quarter was fun. So Burfield said I can score other ways and took it to them. This was a solid team effort. The way Zell and Joe drove and dished was great. The way the D concentrated on their drive shows everyone that they are scared of their speed and shooting. Smith, Slater and Stu could make a living off the layups. STUUUUUUUUU!!!! What a 3-pointer! Keep mixing it up.
Student section was on fire last night. I don't remember a part of the game where they weren't rowdy.
Fans on both sides were getting very testy. I think this is the way it will be the next 2 ball games. I have been waiting for crowds like this for years and I am glad to them like it was in the late 80's.
According to the coaches and Minerva fans, they did not commit one charge last night. They were sure the Josh deserved the T though.
Way to hit the jumpers Sam. It is always nice to have that as part of the arsenal.
Great Tarkanian reference Gilbert! Coach P would love it!
John Thompson Towel. Whines like Boeheim. Team plays like Pitino's teams at Providence. If we could get him to wear a Lou Carnesecca sweater (it would be an upgrade for him), we could have a Big East tribute night.
I know we only made one , but Stu's trey was great. Speaking of Stu , could we get a pic of him on here?
Sam I tell ya what .. If we could only get a Gerry McNamera 3 and a Melo dunk-shot to go along with an Iverson cross-over and Okafor blocked shot .. we could really have a big east night!
I would love to get a pic of Stu on here... Who has one????
Post a Comment