RED-HOT RIVALRY: Canton edges Plymouth in exciting district showdown

With their high school basketball careers teetering on the brink of finality, Canton seniors Caleb Williams and Alexander Persinger made sure they wouldn’t be turning in their uniforms for the last time Thursday.

With the Chiefs trailing suddenly dangerous Plymouth, 23-18, at halftime of Wednesday’s Division 1 district semifinal showdown, Williams and Persinger put their team on their backs, combining for 29 second-half points to fuel Canton’s 56-54 triumph.

Now 19-4, the Chiefs will host Wayne Memorial in Friday’s 7 p.m. district final.

The young and athletic Zebras — all except two of Wayne’s points were scored by sophomores and juniors — were impressive in their 76-58 district semifinal win over Salem.

To check out video highlights from Wednesday’s game, click here.

In sharp contrast, all but four of Canton’s points were netted by seniors.

Dynamic senior duo

Williams, a point guard who usually bypasses shooting for distributing, was assertive at the offensive end from the get-go, finishing with a game-high 20 points.

Persinger, a sweet-shooting lefty, tallied all 14 of his points in the second half — six on a pair of threes; the rest on creative drives to the bucket that Plymouth’s hustling defense couldn’t quite figure out.

Canton Head Coach Jimmy Reddy said he delivered a calm, reassuring message at halftime to his normally high-octane players who managed to score just 18 points in the first 16 minutes.

“It was a super-positive talk at halftime,” Reddy said. “We talked about needing to execute better on both ends of the court.

“This is a veteran group, so when we talk to the guys like we did, we know they’re going to respond.”

Chiefs’ 3rd quarter explosion

And they did, piling up 22 third-quarter points after a three-point second quarter.

Plymouth, which won just four regular-season games, turned in its second straight championship-caliber effort. The Wildcats scored the game’s first seven points and didn’t trail for the first time until late in the third quarter.

The Wildcats were led by senior post player Idrys Cotton, who scored 13 points. However, it was two reserves — junior Ali Hider and sophomore Zerry Rue — who nearly lifted Plymouth to a monumental upset.

All 12 of Hider’s points came on long-range triples — the first of which just beat the first-quarter buzzer when he launched the ball from the right wing, close to 30 feet from the rim.

Rue played like an upperclassmen, displaying poise while carving through the Chiefs’ defense for 10 points.

Short’s hustle fueled ‘Cats

Junior Cam Short also excelled for Plymouth, contributing nine points and maybe as many floor burns as he dove on the court at least twice in pursuit of loose basketballs.

Canton senior Bradley Ezuika was his usual solid self, scoring 13 points.

Plymouth looked well on its way to surviving and advancing mid-way through the third quarter when Cotton turned his third straight offensive rebound into an and-one layup, giving the Wildcats a 32-27 lead — and feeding his school’s energizing student cheering section.

However, Williams and Persinger shifted their games into a higher gear to help Canton escape with the “W”.

Clutch Caleb

“Caleb wanted to play better than he did Friday night (a loss to Dearborn in the KLAA title game), and I knew he would,” Reddy said. “He played confident and awesome.

“He was being guarded by a smaller guy, so we went to a four-low offense and let him take the ball to the rim. He either finished or got fouled.”

Persinger, who was 6-for-6 from three-point range in last week’s loss to the Pioneers, may have surprised some onlookers with his array of acrobatic shots, but not Reddy.

“You’ll see baseball players who are crafty left-handed pitchers; well, AP is a crafty left-handed basketball player. He’s gained more confidence as the season has gone on and he’s embraced the bigger role we’ve handed him.”

Reddy said Friday night’s championship game against the Zebras will a tough test.

“They’re really good,” he said. “They battled well in the KLAA East Division and gave Dearborn all it could handle. They have two young guards who are very quick. We’re going to have to defend at a very high level.”

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.

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