Canton beats Raiders at buzzer for fourth straight win; Avon rebounds with a win

Canton’s Matthew Benedetti (10) has scored 26 points in the past two games for the Warriors including 12 points in Tuesday’s win over Windsor Locks.

CANTON, Jan. 25, 2022 – Isaiah Reece made a pair of free throws with no time left on the clock to lift the Canton High boys basketball team to a 49-47 win over Windsor Locks on Tuesday night in North Central Connecticut Conference action.

It was the fourth straight win for the Warriors (7-5), who move within one victory of earning a spot in the CIAC Division IV state tournament. Reece scored a game-high 20 points and four three-point baskets while Matthew Benedetti had 12 points for the Warriors.

It was Canton’s seventh straight win over the Raiders since 2017 and the ninth in the last 10 games over Locks.

Canton also won on Monday night with a 64-57 non-league victory over Northwestern Regional behind 16 points from Brandon Powell and a career-high 14 points from Benedetti. Canton had four players in double digits with Reece scoring 15 and Luke Maher scoring 13 points.

“We’re starting to learn how to close out quarters and play more efficiently,” Canton High coach Craig Archambault said on Monday night after beating the Highlanders. “We’re sharing the ball better and we’re moving the ball more effectively. We dug in and made some tough stops and played tough defense.”

The Warriors return to the hardwood on Friday night when they travel to Stafford.

Canton 49, Windsor Locks 47
At Canton
Windsor Locks (47) Jayden Buckle 9 10 30, Jahievre Thomas 1 0 3, Chris Vega 1 0 2, Aidan Walker 1 1 3, Austin Smith 1 0 2, Jamari Murrell 2 1 5, Kyle Huckley 1 0 2. Totals 16 12 47
Canton (49) Khalil Thomas 0 0 0, Brandon Powell 2 4 8, Matthew Benedetti 6 0 12, Isaiah Reece 7 2 20, Connor Nadeau 1 0 2, Luke Maher 3 0 7.  Totals 19 6 49
Windsor Locks (4-5)           18    2  17  10  — 47
Canton (7-5)                         12  13  12  12  — 49
Three-point goals: Buckle (WL) 2, Thomas (WL), Reece (Ca) 4, Maher (C)

Canton 64, Northwestern 57
At Canton
Northwestern  Regional (57) Fred Camp 4 4 13, Trevor Grantmeyer 2 0 4, Jacob Janco 4 7 15, Mason Bradley 1 0 2, Devon Divita 9 2 21, J. Thompson 1 0 2. Totals 21 13 57
Canton (64) Khalil Thomas 1 2 4, Juan Alicea 1 0 2, Brandon Powell 5 6 16, Matthew Benedetti 7 0 14, Isaiah Reece 4 5 15, Connor Nadeau 0 0 0, Luke Maher 5 2 13.  Totals 23 15 64.
Northwestern (7-4)          8  14  10  25  – 57
Canton (6-5)                    18  9  13  24  — 64
Three-point goals: Camp (NW), DiVita (NW); Reece (Ca) 2, Maher (C)

Avon 67, E.O. Smith 32
STORRS, Jan. 24, 2022 – Isaac Aguilar and Tyler Brokenshire each had 17 points and the Avon High boys basketball team limited E.O. Smith to 32 points as the Falcons beat the Panthers, 67-32 and earned a spot in the upcoming CIAC Division II state tournament.

The Falcons (8-4) secured a state tournament berth with a dominating performance after a hard-to-swallow loss to Platt on Friday night when the Panthers scored five points in the final 13 seconds to earn a one-point win.

“It was a nice bounce back for the boys after a heart-breaking loss to Platt (on Friday night),” Avon High coach Kris Pedra said. “The kids were motivated to get the eight wins and qualify for states. Our defense against E.O. Smith was really on target. I am very proud of the team’s mentality.”

The 32 points was the lowest that the Falcons have allowed this season in a game.

Avon returns to action on Friday night when they host Conard at 6:45 p.m.

Avon 67, E.O. Smith 32
At Storrs
Avon (67) Jadd Eldah 1-0-2, Isaac Aguilar 6-3-17, Alan Brockman 2-0-4, Cam Dawiczyk 1-0-2, Parker Jobe 2-1-6, Ryan Heuer 1-0-2, Tyler Brokenshire 6-2-17, Aidan Srb 2-0-5, Aaron Moza 4-0-8, Nishant Gopalachar 1-0-2, Emmett Borenstein 1-0-2. Totals 27-6
E.O. Smith (32) Jack Sanville 2-0-4, Brendan Raynor 0-1-1, Dar Jankovic 4-6-14, Peter Elumogo 0-1-1, Jordan Sawyer 1-0-2, Leon Lin 3-0-7, Camden Shea 0-1-1, Noah Cordone 0-2-2. Totals 10-11
Avon (8-4)                        13  26  17  11  — 67
E.O. Smith (5-6)                9    7   8    8  — 32
Three-point goals: Aguilar (A) 2, Jobe (A), Brokenshire (A) 3, Srb (A), Lin (EO)