Canton coach Craig Archambault and the Warriors come out of a timeout.
CANTON – There were several signature moments this season for the Canton High boys basketball team.
There was a one-point win over Enfield in January when Rieley Hoffman sank a game-winning field goal with four seconds left. On opening night, Andrew Zukowski scored 21 points in a victory against Hartford’s Sport Medicine Science Academy (SMSA). Just two weeks ago, Cam Lange hit two free throws with six seconds left to secure a three-point win over Bolton.
At one point, the Warriors won six of seven games and turned in their first winning season since 2010. Canton (13-7, 10-6 NCCC) played well enough to earn a first round home game in the Class S tournament.
But there were also periods of inconsistency and that cost Canton in a 49-46 loss to SMSA Monday night in Canton. The visiting Tigers built up a 13-point lead after one quarter and held of a furious Warrior rally.
“Our defense is the key,” Canton’s second-year coach Craig Archambault said. “We need to commit to playing defense for 32 minutes.”
Jake Wood led the Warriors with 14 points while Ben Sullivan had 11 points, including three 3-point goals. Canton had five 3-point shots but it wasn’t enough.
A similar lapse cost Canton in a 57-44 loss to Windsor Locks in the quarterfinals of the NCCC Tournament. Canton trailed by four after one quarter but the Raiders extended the lead to 13 by halftime. “We let up and let them off the hook in the second quarter,” Archambault said.
All-NCCC forward Andrew Zukowski led Canton in scoring with 13.0 points a game.
Archambault didn’t let two post-season defeats sour the season. Canton, which finished 13-9 on the year, had three seniors in the starting lineup – Wood, Zukowski and guard Alex Daley. Zukowski earned All-NCCC honors.
“We had a great regular season,” Archambault said. “We had a few big wins down the stretch that helped us get a good seed and a home playoff game.
“Zukowski has been there all year or us. Cam Daley had been getting some double doubles (scoring 10 or more points and pulling down 10 or more rebounds),” Archambault said. “Cameron Lange has picked it up for us scoring. He has emerged at the player we hoped he would become.”
Alex Daley didn’t score a lot but he played well at guard, moving the ball well and playing snarling defense. He frequently drew the assignment to guard the opposition’s best player.
Offensively, Canton spread out the wealth this year. Most players had at least one game in which they shined.
Zukowski had 21 points while Lange chipped in with a season-high 19 in a 71-68 win over Somers in the final regular season game of the season two weeks ago on February 26. The previous night, Cam Daley had 14 points, Lange had 12 and Zukowski scored 11 in a 54-52 win over SMSA.
Zukowski had a career-high 31 points in a 67-52 win over Somers in January. Hoffman had 13 points in a five-point loss to Lewis Mills in December while Wood had 13 points in a double overtime loss to Suffield. Cam Daley scored in double digits in 13 of Canton’s last 14 games including a season-high 22 points against Somers in January.
Zukowski led the Warriors with 13.0 points a game with Cam Daley scoring 12 points a contest. Lange averaged 8.3 points and led the team with 21 three-point goals. Zukowski had 19 three-point field goals while Ben Sullivan had 15.
SMSA 49, Canton 46
At Canton
SMSA (49): Dwayne Bernard 4 0 10, Marvin Woodward 5 0 10, Rashaun Mason 6 0 13, Milan Lester 1 2 4, Ja’Kwon Mitchell 5 2 12. Totals 21 4 49
Canton (46): Rieley Hoffman 1 0 3, Ben Sullivan 4 0 11, Andrew Kukowski 2 0 5, Jake Wood 7 0 14, Cam Daley 4 0 8, Cameron Lange 2 0 5. Totals 20 0 46.
SMSA (12-11) 18 15 10 6 — 49
Canton (13-9) 5 13 13 15 – 46
Three-point goals: Hoffman (C), Sullivan (C) 3, Kukowski (C), Lange (C); Bernard (S) 2, Mason (S)
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