Canton girls riding confidence into postseason tournaments

Canton’s Amanda Curvino was named to the All-NCCC team.

The Canton High girls basketball team closed out the regular season with six straight wins and victories in eight of their last 10 games.

“Once we got a couple of win but we got some confidence and it built,” Canton coach Michael Jessie said. “Not only did they get some confidence in themselves but they found confidence in themselves as a team.”

In the six-game winning streak, Canton (11-11, 7-9 NCCC) beat three teams (Wamogo, Coventry, Windsor Locks) that had beaten them earlier this season. Canton beat Coventry, 71-65 in overtime and topped East Granby, 57-51 in OT. The Warriors nipped Windsor Locks by two, 37-35 and outlasted Northwestern, 43-40, scoring 19 points in the deciding fourth quarter.

“We started playing tough and working hard on defense,” said senior Amanda Curvino, who was selected to the All-NCCC team. “We started to win and that got our motivation going.”

The win over Coventry was huge. It came in February and was the first win of the season against a team with a winning record. The Patriots were 10-6 at the time. Curvino had a game-high 23 points as the Warriors erased a 12-point first quarter deficit.

Freshman Maggie Treacy hit a three-pointer with 31 seconds left in OT to secure the win. Gabby Rose had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Canton. Treacy finished with 17 points.

That was followed with a 46-25 win over Wamogo team that handed Canton a one-point defeat in December. This time, the Warriors allowed just five points in the first half as they built a 23-5 halftime lead.

Against East Granby, Canton rallied from a six-point deficit early in the second half. Senior guard Kat Winsor hit a three-pointer with nine seconds left to force OT. Curvino had 18 points while Jacquie Grabowski chipped in with 14 points.

“We’re known for our comebacks,” Curvino said. “We get down in the first or second quarter and then we turn it on in the second half. We get strong and physical.”

A 19-13 fourth quarter surge lifted Canton past Northwestern in the season finale as Curvino scored 11 and Gabby Rose added 10. The Highlanders were 15-4 at the time.

Canton went 1-1 in the NCCC Tournament, beating Suffield, 42-40, to win their seventh straight game. But in the quarterfinals, Bolton beat the Warriors, 47-31 building up a 12-point lead at halftime.

Canton begins play in the Class S tournament on Monday. Ranked 18th in the field of 27 teams, the Warriors were paired with No. 15 Coventry (11-9) for the third time this season. A win sets up a date with No. 2 Cheney Tech in Manchester on Feb. 28 in the second round.