Matt Rose sinks a career-high 31 points as Canton dominates Classical

Matt Rose scored a career-high 31 points to lead the Canton High boys basketball team to their fifth straight win Friday night in a 78-58 win over Hartford Classical Magnet. (Photo courtesy Paul Amrose)

HARTFORD, January 3 – A quarter of the regular season is complete for the Canton High boys basketball team and the Warriors are undefeated for the first time since 2009.

Matt Rose had a career-high 31 points, sinking 15 of 17 field goals as Canton rolled to a 78-58 victory over Hartford Classical Magnet on Friday night in North Central Connecticut Conference play. Josh Burke scored a season-high 18 points while Chris Tenczar added 12 points for the Warriors (5-0, 2-0 NCCC).

The last time that Canton won their first five games of the season was in 2009 when they won their first 12 of the campaign.

Winless Classical (0-4) led 14-12 after one quarter with the Rose twins – Matt and Jack – combining for 10 of Canton’s 12 points and pulling down six rebounds.

Canton’s Thomas Amrose brings the ball upcourt in Friday night’s NCCC victory over Classical in Hartford. (Photo courtesy Paul Amrose)

Canton took control in the second quarter with a 15-0 run with seven consecutive baskets. Matt Rose went 5-for-5 in the surge and Thomas Amrose going 2-for-2 with a three-point shot. Matt Rose had 18 points at halftime on 9-of-9 shooting.

Canton made sure there would be no Classical comeback in the third quarter with three-point shots from Tenczar, Jack Rose and Burke (3). Burke converted on 5-of-8 shots from three-point range. Matt Rose also had a team-leading nine rebounds.

The 20-point margin of the victory is the largest by Canton in the series since it began in 2014.

The Warriors won’t be idle this week with three games lined up on the schedule. Canton travels to winless East Windsor (0-5) on Monday before returning home on Wednesday night to host East Granby (2-4) in the first game of a four-game homestand at 6:45 p.m. On Friday night, Canton will host Bolton (1-4) with an early start beginning at 5:15 p.m.

Canton’s Silas Sawtelle drives to the basket in Friday’s NCCC game in Hartford. The Warriors won to improve to 5-0. (Photo courtesy Paul Amrose)

It’s just the ninth time in team history that the Warriors have begun the season with five straight wins. The best starts came in 1962-63 and 2008-09 when Canton began the year with 12 consecutive wins.

The first varsity season of basketball at Collinsville High was in 1920-21. The school was renamed Canton High in 1933. It is not the 100th season of basketball in Canton but it is close. The Warriors didn’t play two seasons during World War II.

Canton 78, Hartford Classical 58
At Hartford
Canton (78) Chris Tenczar 5 0 12, Colin Mackin 1 0 2, Matt Rose 15 1 31, Silas Sawtelle 1 1 3, Thomas Amrose 1 2 5, Josh Burke 6 1 18, Jack Rose 3 0 7. Totals 32 5 78
Classical (58) Dorian Bernard 5 0 12, Georgios Rosado 2 0 5, Matthew Rivera 5 4 16, Josh Smith 9 2 20, Johan Campos 1 0 2, Brian Herrera 0 1 1, Rick O’Neill 0 2 2. Totals 22 9 58
Canton (5-0)                         12  23  30  13  — 78
Classical (0-4)                       14    5  25  14  — 58
Three-point goals: Tenczar (Ca) 2, Amrose (Ca), Burke (Ca) 6, Jack Rose (Ca), Bernard (HC) 2, Rosado (HC), Rivera (HC) 2