The Canton High girls basketball is all smiles after clinching a share of its first league championship since 1999 with a win over Windsor Locks Tuesday.
CANTON, Feb. 17 – When Gabby Rose was a freshman on the Canton High girls basketball team, the Warriors won just two games. On Tuesday night, Rose played her final regular season game at home and helped Canton win a share of its first league championship since 1999.
Rose and fellow senior Jacquie Grabowski had six points each on Senior Night as the Warriors clinched a share of the NCCC championship with a 50-35 win over Windsor Locks. Canton won 18 of 20 games this year and went 16-2 in the league. The Warriors will share the championship with Avon (16-4, 16-2 NCCC).
“This is real exciting,” Rose said. “It hasn’t happened in so long. We were all hoping something exciting would happen this year. It’s a nice feeling to be on a winning team that is successful.”
Junior Maggie Treacy led Canton with 19 points while sophomore Emily Briggs added 10 points. The Warriors rebounded nicely from Friday night’s 63-50 loss to Avon. In that game, Avon raced out to a 17-1 lead only to see Canton rally to take a one-point lead with 3:01 left in the third quarter. But the Falcons held Canton scoreless for the next 8:48 and outscored the Warriors, 19-5 from that point to earn the win.
“It was important for us to get back into the gym,” Canton’s second-year coach Brian Mederios said. “I think their confidence was shaken. Avon wanted to come in here and beat us and we really have experienced that – being hunted. Usually, we’re the hunter. And the moment got pretty big.
“But I told them before tonight’s game that you deserve to be the team that people want to come in and beat and we got off to a much better start tonight,” he said.
Windsor Locks’ Dominque Boyd (21), who scored a game-high 21 points, gets past Jacquie Grabowski (20) and Katie Walker, right.
The Warriors led 19-8 after one quarter and 28-20 at halftime. Windsor Locks (14-6) made a run in the third quarter. They reduced a 12-point lead to four points. But Canton responded with a 12-2 surge to seize control of the contest.
Canton’s Gabby Rose goes up for a block in Tuesday’s win over Windsor Locks.
“Everyone is contributing this year,” Grabowski said. “It’s awesome that we did this in my senior year. It makes it unforgettable. I’m so happy.”
Canton will play in the NCCC Tournament beginning on Saturday when they host a quarterfinal game against the winner of Thursday night’s Granby and Coventry contest. The semifinals at Tuesday, Feb. 24 with the championship on Thursday, Feb. 26 at a neutral location.
NOTES: Rose, Grabowski and guard Katie Walker were honored in Senior Night festivities. Walker scored two points in the victory. … Unofficially, Canton will be the top seed in the CIAC Class S tournament with a 18-2 record. … This is fourth league championship that Canton has won in the NCCC. The girls also won titles in 1999, 1998 and 1993. The Canton girls also won the Farmington Valley League championship in 1922. … Eighteen regular seasons is the second-best regular season record in school history. The only better record was a 20-0 mark in 1998.
Canton 50, Windsor Locks 35
At Canton
Windsor Locks (35) N. Johnson 2-0-4, S. Cruz 1-0-2, R. Voision 3-1-8, S. Blier 0-0-0, D. Boyd 8-5-21, V. Green 0-0-0, M. Miglan 0-0-0. S. Bycenski 0-0-0. Totals 14-6-35
Canton (50) Katie Walker 1-0-2, Jacquie Grabowski 2-2-6, Emily Briggs 5-0-10, Maggie Treacy 7-4-19, Gabby Rose 2-2-6, Emma Charron 2-0-5, Abbe Skinner 0-0-0, Carly Atkinson 0-2-2. Totals 19-10-50
Windsor Locks (14-6) 8 12 10 5 — 35
Canton (18-2) 19 9 16 6 – 50
Three-point goals: Voision (W), Treacy (C), Charron (C)
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