One last game for Canton vs. Avon in boys, girls basketball

Avon’s Robert Carver (42) banks two of his team-high 16 points off the glass over Canton’s Chad Huff (40) and Connor Smyth in a 66-55 win over Canton in a 2009 game in Avon.

An era ends on Friday night when Canton and Avon meet for the final time in basketball. 

Yes, the two schools could meet again in March in the North Central Connecticut Conference tournament. But this is the final regular season contest between the two schools who have been playing on the hardwood against each other since December 1959. 

Canton (11-5, 9-5 NCCC) plays the Falcons Friday night at Avon High beginning at 7 p.m. It will be the 109th meeting between the two schools. Avon (11-4, 10-3) will be moving to the Central Connecticut Conference next winter and chances are small that the two schools will ever play again. 

At the same time, the Canton High girls basketball team will play their final regular season game against the Falcons on Friday night at 7 p.m. at Canton High. The girls teams have been playing each year since at least 1974. The series may have begun a few years earlier but results of girls games from the early 1970s are difficult to find. 

The girls game between Canton and Avon could impact who wins the NCCC championship. Canton (17-1, 15-1 NCCC) can claim its first NCCC title since 1999 if they beat Avon (13-4, 13-2) on Friday night. Canton could share the title with the Falcons with if they lose to Avon and beat Windsor Locks on Tuesday. 

With the boys and girls, it has been a series that has its share of blowout contests and competitive ballgames. 

BOYS

The series began in December 1959 when the two schools opened the season against each other. Canton dominated Avon with a 55-19 victory, which wasn’t surprising since Avon had just opened its own high school. Up to 1958, students from Avon and Burlington attended Canton High, which served as the regional school in the area. 

Canton actually won 22 of the first 27 games between the two schools through 1973. The games were close but the Warriors won most of them including a 71-69 triple OT game in 1963 when Tom Kozlak hit two free throws with a second to go. Led by Jim Burrows who scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half, Avon had erased a 18-point deficit.

One of Avon’s early wins was a 59-58 victory in five overtimes. Avon’s Harry Divnecki sank a layup with one second remaining in regulation to send the game in OT tied at 54. There was no scoring in the first four OT periods. Wayne Garrett led Canton with 20 points while Avon had four players in double figures, led by Paul Fish with 15 points. 

Avon’s Zak Blawie (44) and Lambert Givens (34) battle for a rebound with Canton’s Chris Robitaille.

Through 1983, the series remained competitive. There were blowout wins on both sides but there were plenty of competitive ballgames. In 1980, the two teams met in the CIAC Class S tournament with Avon eliminating the Warriors, 53-41. 

After 1984, Avon began to dominant the series. Canton has won just six games since that time. Two wins came in 1996 including an 11-point victory in the NCCC Tournament. That came 10 days after Avon beat Canton, 24-20 in one of the lowest scoring games in the series. In that game, Canton held the ball in attempt to slow down the Falcons. 

In 2006, Canton snapped a 21-game losing streak to Avon that dated back 1996 with a 57-41 win in the CIAC Division IV tournament. Behind a career-high 27 points from Mike Connon, Canton built a 14-point fourth quarter lead only to see Avon rally and take a one-point lead with 56 seconds remaining. But Connon hit two foul shots and Canton made two key defensive stops to earn the win. 

“They’ll never forget that win,” said Eric Deegan, Canton’s coach at that time. “They’ll have that forever. They really relished that victory. It’s the first time I had so many hugs after a game from fans and parents.” 

While it may be unfair, Avon has carried the expectation of being the favorite to win most of the time since they are a bigger school. It’s extra pressure for the Falcons and extra incentive for Canton – and it has been that way for most of the series. 

For a three-year run in 2007, 2008 and 2009, the rivalry burned brightly and was very competitive. It culminated in two tremendous games in 2009. 

For just the second time in school history, Canton opened the season with 12 straight wins before facing Avon. Canton scored the first 12 points of the third quarter and led by as many as 11 points. But the host Falcons outscored Canton, 13-3 in the final seven minutes of regulation and pulled away in overtime to earn a thrilling 80-71 victory before a packed house at Avon High that roared with every basket. 

Andrew Crowley had 26 points for Canton while Chris Robitaille had 23. Avon was led by Joe Ives with a career-high 30 points, including eight in overtime. It turned out to be the deciding factor in the league championship race. Avon finished 13-0 in the league while Canton was second at 12-1. 

The two teams met again a few weeks later in the championship game of the NCCC Tournament. With a swarming defense and opportunistic offense, Avon pulled away from Canton to win the league tournament for the fourth time in the last seven years with a dominating 71-55 victory before a vocal crowd of several hundred that packed the Avon High gym. 

Avon won its 19th straight game with Ives leading the way with 26 points and Tyler D’Onofrio scoring 11 of his 13 points in the decisive first half.

Coming into Friday night’s game, Avon has won the last 11 contests against Canton. Avon (11-4, 10-3 NCCC) still has an outside shot at the league championship. But the Falcons trail SMSA (14-1, 13-1) and Granby (11-3, 10-2) with five games remaining. Canton lost to SMSA on Tuesday, 68-51.

A large, standing-room only crowd watched Avon beat Canton for the NCCC Tournament title in 2009.

By the numbers – BOYS

Series: Avon leads 71-37
Biggest Avon win: 38 points, Avon 91, Canton 53, 1991
Biggest Canton win: 36 points, Canton 55, Avon 19, 1959 

Most points scored (Canton): Canton 86, Avon 70, 1969
Most points scored (Avon): Avon 92, Canton 76, 1999 

Longest win streak: Avon, 21 games, 1997 through 2006
Longest win streak: Canton 8 games, 1968 through 1972 

GIRLS

When was the first Canton vs. Avon girls basketball game? It’s hard to know. Newspapers in the late 1960s and early 1970s didn’t report on many girls athletic events. Information in school yearbooks is inconsistent. 

Avon had a team as far back as 1968-69. Canton, which had girls basketball for a 20-year span up to the start of World War II, resumed basketball sometime in the early 1970s. 

We’ve been able to find scores beginning in 1974. Avon was the dominant team for the first 12 years of the series, winning 20 of 24 games. But from 1987 through 1999, Canton was more than able to hold their own, capturing 24 of 27 contests. 

They were competitive games and not particularly high-scoring affairs. In 1989, Canton stopped Avon, 43-41 in overtime in the NCCC Tournament quarterfinals – the first post-season contest between the two schools. In 1998, Canton used a 15-0 run to take control and beat the Falcons in a NCCC Tournament semifinal game for a school-record 22nd straight win. 

In 1999, a quick start and some stifling defense helped Canton beat Avon, 61-39, sparked by 20 points from Natasha Progna and 19 from Naomi Kravitz. “This was a game they wanted more than anything,” Canton coach Paul Grossman told the Courant at the time. “They knew what this meant.” It was the difference in winning the league championship. Canton finished 15-1 in the league and Avon was second at 14-2. 

Since 2000, Avon has once again dominated the series, winning 23 of 25 games. Canton’s lone win in that span was a 56-34 win in February 2010. 

Friday night’s game with Avon will be the key contest for the NCCC championship. A win by Canton gives the Warriors its first league championship since 1999. A win by the Falcons would likely create a tie between the two teams for the regular season crown but Avon would have to win its final two games against Stafford and East Windsor. 

It’s not unlikely that the two teams could meet for one last time in the NCCC Tournament, too.

With a hard-nosed defensive team, Canton won its first 15 games before losing to Enfield last week. Avon began the season with hopes of another NCCC championship but the loss of junior Abby Laszewski with a foot injury has removed some of their offensive and defensive firepower. Laszewski has committed to play at Wisconsin in college. The Falcons have had to learn to adjust and play without Laszewski and they’ve won 13 of 17 games.

By the numbers – GIRLS

Series (since 1974): Avon leads 46-30
Biggest Avon win: 59 points, Avon 85, Canton 26, 2006
Biggest Canton win: 29 points, Canton 63, Avon 34, 1988 

Most points scored (Canton): Canton 66, Avon 43, 1998
Most points scored (Avon): Avon 87, Canton 29, 2003 

Longest win streak: Avon, 19 games, 1999 through 2009
Longest win streak: Canton 9 games (twice), 1995 through 1999; 1987 through 1990