Quick start helps No. 14 Canton eliminate No. 3 Coginchaug in Class S

Canton sophomore Ruby Theberge drives to the basket during Wednesday night’s Class S second round game in Durham. Theberge had 11 points as Canton eliminated No. 3 Coginchaug, 56-51.

DURHAM, March 5, 2025 – Nearly three weeks ago, the Canton High girls basketball team ended their regular season campaign on a high note with a five-point victory over Coginchaug, handing the Blue Devils their third loss in 20 games.

It gave the Warriors their fourth victory in their final five games and a boost of confidence.

Since that victory, Canton stumbled in their first round contest in the NCCC Tournament, losing to East Windsor/Bloomfield by three points before throttling Wolcott Tech by 50 points in the first round of the Class S tournament. Meanwhile, Coginchaug rolled through the Shoreline Conference tournament to win a championship.

On Wednesday night, a young Warriors team that starts a freshman, three sophomores and a junior, played with the confidence that bolstered them a few weeks ago against the Blue Devils.

No. 14 Canton scored 17 of the game’s 23 points and never trailed as they eliminated No. 3 Coginchaug, 56-51 on Wednesday night in a second round Class S contest. The Warriors (13-10) advance to face No. 11 East Granby on Friday in the quarterfinals on the road beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Canton made steals, pulled down many rebounds and played with poise on offense for much of the game.

Coginchaug closed the gap in the fourth quarter when their defense forced numerous turnovers by Canton but the Warriors made the plays to secure the win.

“I was really happy for the group,” Canton head coach Brian Medeiros said. “They played really hard for three quarters and they did a lot of really great stuff. It got a little dicey in the fourth quarter but we made some plays to hold on.”

Sophomore Helen Canny led the Warriors with 18 points, including a key drive to the basket with 1:22 that extended the Canton lead to eight points and stopped a seven-point run by the host Blue Devils.

On that basket, the ball was touched by four Canton players before Canny drove through the middle of the lane to score the basket.

“There is more patience on offense,” Medeiros said. “(Earlier this season) we were rushing a lot of things with some quick one-and-dones. Now the ball is moving better. The guards on the perimeter are maturing and gaining confidence.”

Sophomore Lucy O’Connor and junior Emery Howard also played well in the lane, pulling down key rebounds and scoring baskets. O’Connor scored 12 points and pulled down a team-leading 10 rebounds.

Canton’s Riley Ahlgren looks for space on the baseline during Wednesday night’s Class S tournament game in Durham. Canton eliminated No. 3 Coginchaug, 56-51.

Sophomore Ruby Theberge had 11 points, eight rebounds, a team-leading five assists and two of the team’s six steals. Freshman Riley Ahlgren had six points and seven rebounds.

“This team has been resilient,” Medeiros said. “It hasn’t been easy this year. But it’s starting to come together for us.”

The Warriors never trailed. They raced out to early leads of 9-3 and 17-5. Brooke Czerwinski hit a pair of three-point shots in the first quarter for Canton, who led 20-7 after one quarter.

The lead got as high as 16 points in the second quarter when Canny hit a three-point shot with 2:05 remaining to give the Warriors a 30-14 lead. Canton led at the half, 33-19.

Coginchaug made a run early in the third quarter to cut the lead to seven but the Warriors responded with nine straight points to extend the lead to 16 points, 44-28.

Canton had a 14 point lead with 6:30 remaining when Coginchaug’s defense forced several turnovers and the Blue Devils cut the lead to six with 2:54 remaining.

Coginchaug’s Sophie Farr led all scorers with 20 points with teammate Maddy Benbow adding 19. Two of Coginchaug’s four losses this year came at the hands of the Warriors. Canton prevailed in Durham on February 13, 61-56.

Canton 56, Coginchaug 51
At Durham
Canton (56) Ruby Theberge 2-6-11, Brook Czerwinski 2-0-6, McKenzie Yanke 0-1-1, Riley Ahlgren 2-1-6, Emery Howard 1-0-2, Lucy O’Connor 6-0-12, Helen Canny 7-2-18, Kayla Berning 0-0-0. Totals 20-10-56
Coginchaug (51) Sophie Farr 8-0-20, Aaliyah Watson 1-0-2, Caliyn Smolley 3-1-7, Sydney Ross 2-0-4, Maddy Benbow 3-2-19, Shayla Vasquez 4-0-8, Peyton Smolley 0-0-0, Cecelia Watson 0-0-0. Totals 21-3-51
Canton (13-10)               7  12  19  13  — 51
Coginchaug (20-4)     20  13  14    9  — 56
Three-point goals: Farr (Cog) 4, Benbow (Cog) 2, Theberg (Canton), Czerwinski (Canton), Canny (Canton) 2