
Brandon Powell, shown last year, had 10 points in Canton’s season-opening win over Litchfield on Monday.
LITCHFIELD, Dec. 19, 2022 – Luke Maher scored a game-high 15 points while Brandon Powell added 10 to lead the Canton High boys basketball team to a 52-35 win over Litchfield High in the season opener for both schools Monday night.
Seven players scored for the Warriors, who ran out to a 12-point lead after one quarter and extended the lead to 20 points after three quarters. Canton has now won their opening day game for the last eight years under head coach Craig Archambault, who is beginning his 11th season on the Canton bench.
Khalil Thomas and Matthew Benedetti each had eight points for Canton. A.J. Quesnl led Litchfield with 15 points.
It was Canton’s second straight win over Litchfield. The Warriors prevailed when the two non-league rivals met in 2020. It was the first opening day win over the Cowboys since 1973.
Canton returns to action on Thursday night when they host long-time rival Avon at 6:45 p.m. It will be the first regular season game between the two schools since 2019.
Canton 52, Litchfield 35
At Litchfield
Canton (52) Taylor Kim 2 0 5, Khalil Thomas 3 1 8, Ben Cuniowski 2 0 4, Brandon Powell 4 2 10, Matt Benedetti 3 2 8, Ryan Benedetti 1 0 2, Luke Maher 6 1 15. Totals: 21 6 52.
Litchfield (35) A.J. Quesnel 3 8 15, Max Guma 0 0 0, Cole Karpicki 0 0 0, Lucas Diaz 1 0 2, Ulisses Do Carmo 0 0 0, Jack Gollow 0 0 0, Travis Lipinsky 1 4 6, JT Gostkowski 1 1 3, Ian Fischthal 2 0 4, Jon Hotchkiss 2 1 5. Totals: 10 14 35.
Canton (1-0) 18 12 12 10—52
Litchfield (0-1) 4 12 4 15—35
Three-point goals: Maher (C) 2, Thomas (C), Kim (C), Quesnel (L)
Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of The Collinsville Press. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 40 years. He was inducted into the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2025 and the New England High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018.
