Boys hoop gives Norwood a battle at DD Center

The Canton High boys basketball team visited the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence for a special Sunday afternoon game against Norwood, and the school was well-represented with the CHS Jazz-Pep Band, cheerleaders, and a large contingent of fans.

Sophomore Tony Harris (Mike Barucci photo)

Home to the nationally ranked Providence College basketball team and the Boston Bruins’ AHL affiliate, the Dunkin Donuts Center served as host to the Higher Learning Sports Basketball Classic, which included six games featuring high school teams from Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Higher Learning Sports announced that a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to the James L. Maher Center, a Middletown, Rhode Island-based group that provides a broad range of services that advance independence and creates opportunities for children and adults with developmental disabilities.

In addition to Canton and Norwood, other participants included Bridgewater-Raynham, Foxboro, Dedham, Milford, North Attleboro, and Rhode Island teams from East Greenwich, Barrington, Westerly, Middletown, and Tiverton.

The 1:30 p.m. CHS-Norwood contest was a well-played affair with the Bulldogs falling in the end 52-42. Norwood, now 11-3, is at the top of the Bay State League, has already captured a playoff berth, and was coming off an emotional win over rival Dedham on Friday night. But Canton came in scrappy and hustling, and for three quarters at least, the Bulldogs outplayed the Mustangs defensively and on the boards and entered the fourth quarter tied at 31.

However, a familiar problem reared its head in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs (2-12) endured another scoring drought. This one lasted for three minutes and resulted in a 9-0 Norwood run, which propelled the Mustangs to a 40-34 lead with five minutes to go in the game.

Sophomore Tony Harris, who scored a game-high 22 points, hit one of his several three-point shots to cut the deficit to 43-39 with 1:54 left in the game. But Canton was hurt by its struggles at the free-throw line, only connecting on three of 11 for the game.

Still, Norwood head coach Rich Cormier came away very impressed with the young Bulldogs. “Every win is a good win,” he said. “It took us a lot for us to warm up, and fortunately we had that spurt. But Canton is a hardworking team. They play tough defense, play hard, and the Harris brothers (Tony and Michael) really created problems for us. They are a well-coached team.”

Tony Harris is fast becoming one of the young bright stars of the league, combining good outside shooting with the ability to drive to the basket. Head coach Ryan Gordy said he definitely has the talent. “He just needs to add the consistency every game,” he said. His brother Michael, a senior center-forward, added 10 points, several rebounds, and a few blocks in the game.

Gordy also put in some of the younger players and each had moments to shine, including freshman Devin Foster, sophomore guard Jake Verille, and junior forward Troy Appleberry.

“I think we are developing a good young team,” Gordy said. “We have to develop consistency and find another scorer to help us through those droughts. But the defense is there; in fact, it’s been great all year.”

In earlier action last week, the Bulldogs lost to Attleboro 60-51 in a game very similar to the Norwood loss. With the game tied at 41 entering the fourth quarter, Attleboro went on an 8-0 run and the Bulldogs were not able to recover. Michael Harris led the team with 18 points with Tony Harris adding 16 points.

The Bulldogs did not fare well against Milford at home on Friday night, losing 68-50 with Milford jumping out to a 24-8 first-quarter lead after a barrage of three-pointers. The closest the Bulldogs would come was a 12-point deficit. Tony Harris was the team’s leading scorer with 12 points.

The Bulldogs were due to host Taunton on Monday and will then host the Stoughton Black Knights tomorrow night in a girls-boys doubleheader at CHS with the girls starting at 5 p.m. and the boys playing at 6:30.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=32357

Posted by Mike Berger on Feb 5 2016. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.