Getting the ball in paint helps No. 8 Canton advance in Div. IV tournament

Canton’s Lucy O’Connor (13) is getting fouled on both arms in Tuesday night’s CIAC Division IV tournament game in Canton against Immaculate of Danbury. O’Connor had a game-high 18 points in the game. More game photos

CANTON, March 10, 2026 – It’s no secret who is the top scoring threat on the Canton High girls basketball team – junior Ruby Theberge, who scored her 1,000th career point earlier this season.

However, to contend for a state championship, teams can seldom lean on one player. That’s why it was so encouraging to see a more diverse offensive effort from No. 8 Canton in the second round of the CIAC Division IV state tournament on Tuesday night.

Junior Lucy O’Connor scored 18 points, primarily on baskets in the low post or baseline, while Helen Canny also scored 18 as the Warriors advanced with a 55-41 win over No. 24 Immaculate of Danbury.

Canton will hit the road for Friday’s Division IV quarterfinal at No. 1 Morgan (22-2) in Clinton at 6 p.m.

Theberge scored 12 with nine points coming on three 3-point shots. Riley Ahlgren had three points along with a team-leading six assists and five steals. Theberge had three assists and two steals.

“We really got the ball inside to (O’Connor) and she’s being doing a lot of good things for us inside over the last couple of weeks,” Canton head coach Brian Medeiros said. “We’ve been doing a pretty solid job of establishing her early, getting her confident around the basket.

“To her credit, she is finding ways to get open. She’s doing it with jump shots, she’s doing it with layups and it’s really great to see her confidence grow.”

Canton raced out to a 16-0 lead before Immaculate could score a point. The first field goal for Immaculate (9-14) came with a three-point shot with 1:39 left in the first quarter to cut Canton’s lead to 19-5.

Canton’s Helen Canny (22, left) and Macy McCullough (21, right) play tight defense in Tuesday night’s win over Immaculate of Danbury. More game photos

In Canton’s opening 16-0 run. O’Connor had three baskets in the paint. One basket was an offensive rebound that she grabbed and put back in.

“When we establish the inside game, it just opens up everybody else because now there is much more attention, there are more eyes down there (in the low post),” Medeiros said. “Which allows for jump shooters like Helen (Canny) or Riley (Ahlgren) to have success. It gives Ruby (Theberge) more driving lanes. It completely changes what we can do offensively because there is a lot of attention on the defensive ends to her (O’Connor). Because if they don’t (pay attention), she is going score more times than not.”

Canton’s defensive press forced several Immaculate turnovers that led to baskets. Canny had two layups off turnovers in the first two minutes. Theberge hit a three-pointer with 2:20 left in the first quarter to extend the Canton lead to 19-2.

Another O’Connor basket in the lane off an assist from Theberge and a three-point shot from Theberge helped Canton establish a 22-point lead, 27-5 with 5:07 left in the first half.

Immaculate cut the lead with a 9-0 run in the second quarter but Canton had a 32-17 lead at the break.

The Mustangs played hard in the second half but struggled to cut the lead. They finally cut it to 11 after a three-point shot from Gianna Alfano with 3:32 remaining. But Canton responded. With the shot clock winding down, Theberge hit a big three-point shot to push the lead back to 14 points with 2:55 left.

Maya Affsa scored in the low post for the Warriors with 57 seconds left to help ice the victory.

Canton 55, Immaculate 41
At Canton
Immaculate (41) Sofia Alfano 1-0-3, Ciara Whitmore 2-6-10, Margaret Mottola 6-3-15, Hayden Sibilia 1-0-2, Sophia Elezaj 1-2-4, Gianna Alfano 2-0-6, Elise Van Brakel 0-1-1. Totals 13 12-16 41
Canton (53) Ruby Theberge 3-3-12, Riley Ahlgren 1-1-3, Helen Canny 8-1-18, Lucy O’Connor 7-4-18, Emery Howard 0-2-2, Macy McCullough 0-0-0, Maya Affsa 1-0-2, Hannah Affsa 0-0-0. Totals 20 11-16 55
Canton (16-7)                      19  13  13    9  – 55
Immaculate (9-14)                5  17  12  12  — 41
Three-point goals: Theberge (C) 3, Canny (C), Sofia Alfano (I), Gianna Alfano (I) 2