Unbeaten Cobras stall Tractors with 21-0 second-quarter surge
Canton’s Elizabeth Persinger pushes the ball up court during the first half of Friday’s 31-15 victory over Fordson.
Following a lackluster first quarter Friday night when his team held a slim 5-2 lead over visiting Dearborn Fordson, first-year Canton Head Coach Jamaal Rhodes delivered a resonating message to the Cobras.
“My message was, ‘Stick with the work you’ve been putting in; trust the program’,” Rhodes said.
The Cobras responded by scoring the first 16 points of the stanza to cap off an impressive 21-0 stampede on the way to a 31-15 victory over the Tractors.
Canton improved to 2-0 following Tuesday’s 52-46 win over Southfield Arts & Technology.
Tenacious defense impresses coach
“I liked our defensive intensity tonight,” Rhodes said. “We came out with high energy defensively in the first half. It dropped off a little bit in the third, but we picked it back up after a timeout.
“I didn’t like our impatience on offense. We let their trap speed us up a little bit, but we made some adjustments and figured it out.”
Canton was paced by juniors Devyn Reiger and McKinsey Berlin, who both scored 10 points.
Reiger sparks run
Reiger netted six points during the 21-0 onslaught — three on a beyond-the-arc jump shot and three more on an and-one drive to the hoop.
“Devyn Reiger is our security blanket,” Rhodes said. “She’s a leader and she understands everything going on on the court at all times. And that kid is a hard worker.”
Rhodes also praised the play of senior point guard Elizabeth Persinger.
“She showed a lot of leadership skills that you need from your point guard,” Rhodes said.
Stella’s ‘3’ was sweet
Junior Kennedy Neyhart netted four points for the Cobras. Freshman Stella Sweet excited the crowd with a deep-corner trey that gave Canton the lead for good late in the first quarter.
Rhodes said the coaching transition from longtime head coach Kayla Bridges to himself has gone smoothly since he was hired in the spring.
“Once I was hired, I had a meeting with all the girls who were returning and we talked about the direction we’re going in now,” Rhodes said. “Everyone has bought in to what we want to do.”
Canton returns to action Tuesday at 7 p.m. at South Lyon.
