LAUNCH PARTY: Blizzard of early 3’s fuels Chiefs’ victory
Alexander Persinger takes aim at one of his four first-half three-point makes Wednesday night at Howell.
There was an endless list of excuses Canton senior guard Alexander Persinger could have used Wednesday night if his long-range shots had found iron instead of net.
Due to weather-related delays, the Chiefs hadn’t played a basketball game in eight days — and Canton had practiced just once in the five days leading up to Wednesday’s pivotal match-up at Howell.
Add to that the difficult atmosphere for shooters in the Highlanders’ unique, cavernous field house.
There was a mountain of excuses for Persinger and his teammates.
As it turned out, they didn’t need them.
Wearing out the nets
Persinger drained all four of his catch-and-shoot first-half three-point bombs to pace the Chiefs’ 48-44 triumph at Howell.
The result improved Canton’s record to 4-0 in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association’s West Division and 8-2 overall. The hosts slipped to 3-2 and 5-5, respectively.
“I hit my first shot, which always helps,” said Persinger, a sharp-shooting lefty. “Seeing that go in made the next shot easier.
“The lighting is a little weird in this gym and the depth perception is weird because it’s so big. But Coach (Jimmy) Reddy always tells us don’t get ready to shoot once you’re in the game, be ready before the game.”
‘Does he ever miss?’
Seconds after Howell Head Coach Nick Simon called a timeout in the aftermath of Persinger’s fourth three-point swish, one of the Highlanders threw up his hands and said to no one in particular, “Does he ever miss?”, referring to Persinger.
Persinger’s marksmanship forced Howell to give him more attention, which led to more-open looks for his teammates.
“They were more aware of him, for sure, after he made those shots,” Reddy said of Persinger. “They play great help-side defense and they were over-helping off of Alex, which gave him some open looks. He’s been shooting well for us, so he can do that.
“They obviously made some adjustments because of him in the second half.”
Canton trailed 17-16 after the first quarter, but bounced back to seize a 28-24 halftime lead.
The Chiefs exploded out of the gate in the third quarter thanks to five quick points by senior Bradley Eziuka and a pair of free throws from Devon Pettus that gave the visitors a 35-24 cushion.
Highlanders hang tough
Howell remained resilient, cutting its deficit to four on multiple occasions down the stretch.
However, the Highlanders couldn’t overcome the relentless Chiefs.
“This is a very tough place to win, as everyone knows,” said Reddy, acknowledging how proud he was of his squad. “They have a great team. If there ever was a big division game early in the year, this would be one.
“Credit to our guys for not having any excuses. They came out here tonight and played really, really hard.”
Both Reddy and Persinger mentioned the Chiefs’ chemistry when asked how they’ve been able to maintain a standard of excellence one season after losing their two leading scorers from the 2022-23 campaign (Omar Suleiman and Dante Favor).
“We’ve had a lot of guys step up, like Bradley (Eziuka) and Devon (Pettus),” Persinger noted. “We always play as a team. We have a great group of guys who play as a team, not themselves.”
“Prior teams have created a winning culture here,” Reddy said.
“These guys know they’re the keepers of that culture and they’re doing a great job.”
Persinger led Canton with a career-high 14 points.
Eziuka, who accounted for half of the winners’ 16 first-quarter points, finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, and Pettus scored eight.
Howell was led by senior Curtis Dell, who scored 17 points.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
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