Granby erases six-point deficit to outlast Canton in physical battle

Canton’s David Grabowski drives to the basket in Friday night’s NCCC game in Granby as Joziah Burris (10) and Oliver Douglas (5) close in. More game photos

GRANBY, Jan. 10, 2025 – Granby Memorial basketball coach Wally Hansen knows that teams will be surrounding his 6-foot-6 sophomore Jake Teclaw, trying to limit his impact on the game.

“The game plan will be to try and shut him down and play physical on him,” Hansen said. “But I tell them, there will be a moment. You’ll have a moment when you have to make a play. You’ll be open. Just make it and keep fighting.”

Teclaw hit a pair of huge three-point shots in the final 1:23 of regulation to help Granby to a 51-48 win over Canton on Friday in a physical North Central Connecticut Conference (NCCC) contest before a vocal, capacity crowd in the Ken King gymnasium.

The Bears (7-1, 4-0 NCCC) trailed by six points with 6:16 remaining in the game but kept hanging around. Canton (4-3, 2-2 NCCC) had a one-point lead when TeClaw hit an open three-point shot with 1:23 remaining to give Granby a two-point lead, 46-44.

David Grabowski’s reverse layup off the glass with 1:02 left in the game, tied the game at 46-46. But Teclaw again drained a three-point shot from the right side of the floor to give the Bears a 49-46 lead with 46.7 seconds remaining. His first three-point shot came from the left side of the floor.

Canton missed a three-point shot with 31 seconds remaining and the Bears controlled the rebound. The Warriors forced a turnover but missed another shot. The rebound bounced out of bounds off a Canton player.

Granby inbounded the ball but a double-team from Canton’s Jayce Turner and Ryan Cuniowski forced a turnover. Cuniowski controlled the loose ball and scored between two Bear defenders with 19.2 seconds left to cut the lead to one, 49-48.

Teclaw hit a pair of free throws with 12.5 seconds left to put the Bears up three, 51-48. A three-point shot with 6.9 seconds left bounced off the rim and a desperation shot at the buzzer fell short to give Granby the win.

Oliver Douglas scored 15 points to lead Granby with Ryder Brunk adding 13. Teclaw finished with 12 points, including eight in the last two minutes of the game.

Canton’s David Grabowski drives upcourt in Friday night’s NCCC game in Granby. More game photos

“I was missing all game long but I knew my teammates had my back,” Teclaw said. “So, I knew I could make them at the end of the game.”

Granby remained undefeated in the league. They will face Suffield on the road on Tuesday night before hosting undefeated Aerospace (8-0) next Friday in the Bear’s Den.

“They’re just gritty as anything,” Hansen said of the Bears. “These guys not only respond but they play tougher. They made it really hard for Canton down the stretch. They made some big shots and some big plays.”

The Warriors (4-3, 2-2 NCCC) have lost two of their last three games. Last Friday, they dropped an 67-63 decision in double overtime to SMSA in Hartford.

“We’re getting close,” Canton’s first-year head coach Dan Goscinski said. “That is a game you have to close out and win it. We have to find ways to win close games and stop beating ourselves. We were up six with six minutes to go.”

Brayden Keefe led the Warriors with 14 points, including four shots from three-point range. Jayden Young scored 10 points while David Grabowski added nine.

“On the road in a rivalry game, you give yourself a chance to win is that you can ask for,” Goscinski said. “But moving forward, we have some pretty big goals we want to achieve. Games like tonight are games that need to hurt and we need to learn from it and use it to grow and get better.”

The Bears had an early lead at 9-2 before the Warriors closed out the first quarter with a 14-5 run with Keefe and Jayce Turner sinking three-points shots. Turner’s shot came with two seconds left in the period to give the Warriors a 16-14 lead.

Canton extended their lead to 21-16 in the second quarter but the Bears fought back with a 7-1 run to take a 23-22 lead. Teclaw scored inside, Douglas drove to the basket for two points and drained a three-pointer to put the Bears ahead. A three-pointer from Jayce Young put Canton up at the half, 25-23.

Canton took a six-point lead in the third quarter, 37-31, thanks to five consecutive points from Keefe on a three-point shot and a baseline drive.

A three-point shot from Keefe with 6:16 remaining put Canton up by six, 42-36 with 6:16 remaining. Granby responded with a 7-0 run to take a 43-42 lead with 2:54 left in the game.

Joziah Burris ripped down an offensive rebound and put it back in for his only basket of the game and to give Granby a one-point lead.

Canton’s Young scored on a fast break off an assist from Grabowski with 2:12 remaining to give the Warriors a 44-43 lead.

Then Teclaw took over.

“It was physical, a physical battle,” Hansen said. “It was an old school NCCC game. It was good. The crowd was into it.”

The Bears and the Warriors have battled over the last decade. Granby has won eight of the last 15 games between the two schools, including three of the last four games. The longest winning streak in the last decade was a three-game run for Canton in 2015-18.

Granby 51, Canton 48
At Granby
Canton (48) Tate Bemis 2-1-5, Jayce Turner 1-0-3, Ryan Cuniowski 2-3-7, Brayden Keefe 5-0-14, Jayden Young 3-3-10, David Grabowski 3-3-9, Chase Alhgren 0-0-0, Mike Valenti 0-0-0. Totals 16-10
Granby (51) Stone Tran 4-0-8, Carmelo Roman 0-0-0, Ryder Brunk 5-3-13, Oliver Douglas 6-2-15, Joziah Burris 1-0-2, Brady Liss 0-0-0, Jake Teclaw 4-2-12. Totals 20-7
Canton (4-3)                           16  9  14    9  — 48
Granby (7-1)                            14  9  11  17  — 51
Three-point goals: Tran (G), Douglas (G), Teclaw (G) 2, Turner (Ca), Keefe (Ca) 4, Young (Ca)

More game photos