Canton (3-0) holds off Lewis Mills rally to remain undefeated

Lewis Mills’ Cameron Bairardi (1) tries to block the shot of Canton’s Ryan Enns in Saturday night’s non-league contest in Canton. The Warriors prevailed, 45-43. (Photo courtesy Paul Amrose)

CANTON, Dec. 30 – Canton’s Jack Mansur hit a go-ahead three-point shot with about a minute to go and the Warrior defense made great defensive stop to preserve a 45-43 non-conference victory Saturday night over Lewis Mills.

The Warriors (3-0, 1-0 NCCC) had a five-point lead after three periods but the Spartans (2-2) rallied to take the lead late in the fourth quarter.

“We closed out the win with a great team stop (defensively),” Canton coach Craig Archambault said. “Overall, the kids did a great job fighting through adversity as we did not shoot the well, particularly from the free throw line. But we hung in there and found a way to win.”

Ryan Enns (23) plays defense for the Warriors in Saturday night’s game with Lewis Mills. (Photo courtesy Paul Amrose)

Luke Brown led the way for the Warriors with 14 points while Ryan Enns scored 10. For Mills, Kyle Avarez had 13 points while Josh Schibi and Jackson Lord had 12 points each. It was Canton’s fourth straight win over the Spartans and the fifth in the last six games since the series resumed in 2013. Canton leads the all-time series, which began in 1962, by a 31-24 margin.

Canton returns to action on Wednesday when they travel to Coventry for a NCCC contest.

Lewis Mills’ Josh Schibi (40) and Canton’s Mitchell Cormier battle for a jump ball in Saturday’s non-conference game in Canton. (Photo courtesy Paul Amrose)

Canton 45, Lewis Mills 43
At Canton
Lewis Mills (43) Matt Gilbert 0 0 0, Matt Geissler 2 0 4, Josh Schibi 3 5 12, Jackson Lord 5 1 12, Kyle Alvarez 3 5 13, Cam Norton 0 0 0, Alex Gallagher 0 0 0, Cam Baiardi 0 0 0, Jon Hu 0 2 2. Totals 13 13 43.
Canton (45) Chris Tenczar 2 0 4, Luke Brown 4 2 14, Jack Mansur 2 1 6, Thomas Amrose 1 0 3, Ryan Enns 3 4 10, Grant Lange 1 0 2, Tim Keating 2 1 6. Totals 15 8 45.
Lewis Mills (2-2)                    7  12  13  11 – 43
Canton (3-0)                          6  12  19    8 – 45
Three-point goals: Schibi (LM), Lord (LM), Alvarez (LM) 2, Brown (C) 4, Mansur (C), Amrose (C), Keating (C)