3-D: Canton’s long-range shooting, defense shine in win over ‘Cats
Canton’s Marisa Cribari defends Plymouth’s Annie Flavin Friday night.
If the Canton girls basketball team’s three-point swishes were snowflakes Friday night at Plymouth, the Wildcats’ gym would have needed to be shoveled following the Chiefs’ impressive 47-26 victory.
Six Chiefs found the net from beyond the three-point arc — the winners made 10 triples altogether — to set the tone for a much-needed triumph in the ultra-competitive Kensington Lakes Activities Association’s West Division.
After scoring 19 points in both the first and third quarters, Canton now sits atop the division standings at 6-3 along with Brighton, Howell and Salem.
The logjam will be eased considerably on Feb. 9 when the Chiefs visit Salem and Howell travels to Brighton.
To check out a few highlights from Friday night’s game, click here.
Back-to-back brilliance
And to think Canton Head Coach Kayla Bridges was at least mildly concerned about the Chiefs’ energy level after they played the night before against Detroit Voyageur College Prep (a 71-11 Canton win).
“Honestly, I was a little nervous about fatigue since we played last night,” Bridges said. “Sometimes, though, the confidence we gained Thursday can carry over to the next night.
“We played really, really well (against Voyageur) and we got an opportunity to play everybody on the roster, which was nice.”
The Chiefs were led by seniors Marisa Cribari (13 points) and Justice Tramble (11 points), both of whom made their presence felt at both ends of the court.
Freshman McKinsey Berlin continued her strong play, netting eight points, while sophomore Elizabeth Persinger and senior Maya Joiner contributed six and five points, respectively. Persinger’s points were the result of a pair of long-range treys.
Steady seniors
While Tramble deservedly collects most of the accolades for the Chiefs, Bridges said two other seniors are key components to her team’s success.
“Marisa and Maya do a lot of things well for us,” Bridges said. “Offensively, Marisa does a great job of getting downhill and getting to the basket, which takes pressure off Justice. And Maya really gets after it on the defensive end for us.”
The 21-point victory was especially impressive considering Plymouth entered the game riding a four-game winning streak.
After averaging 45.5 points per game during their win streak, the Wildcats managed to post just 11 first-half points against Canton’s stifling defense.
Senior Elena DiMaria led the Wildcats with 12 points (she was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line). Sophomore Mackenzie Dicken (seven points) was the only other Wildcat to score more than three points.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4637 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
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