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