RED LETTER DAY: Chiefs savor first district title in 10 years
There comes a point in almost every high school basketball player’s career when they get sick of watching other teams celebrate championships.
For the Canton girls hoops team’s seniors, that point arrived a couple years ago when they finished as the district runner-up for the first time in three consecutive years.
Those players made sure Friday night they’d be on the jubilant end of the celebrating when they outlasted a feisty Northville team, 40-29, in the MHSAA District 14 title game.
Fittingly, the Chiefs were powered by a quartet of final-year players — Justice Tramble, Maya Joiner, Marisa Cribari and Ava Murphy — who scored all but two of their team’s points against the Mustangs.
With the win, Canton advanced to Monday’s 7 p.m. Division 1 regional semifinal against Dexter at Westland John Glenn High School.
To check out video highlights from Friday’s game, click here.
Long-awaited celebration
“The three previous years, our seniors stood by and watched Plymouth, Northville and Salem celebrate winning the district, so to finally win it — and by beating those three teams to do it — was very personal,” said Justice Tramble, who scored 12 points and snatched 11 rebounds.
“I’m so happy, I’m still shaking,” said senior Maya Joiner, who contributed seven points and countless difference-making hustle plays. “Every game we won this season, the target got bigger on our backs.
“I don’t think too many people thought we could do this, but it shows what you can do when you put your mind to it.”
Cribari led Canton with 13 points while Murphy added one three-point basket and guarded the Mustangs’ pair of elusive point guards, Carly Pelon and Sophia Bowman.
Northville, which entered the tournament with just six regular-season wins, was coming off a pair of momentum-building district victories against 18-win South Lyon and 17-win South Lyon East.
Northville battled
After freshman Peyton Sivier’s steal that led to an old-fashioned three-point play, the Mustangs trailed just 35-29 with 6 minutes to play — keeping alive the Mustangs’ Cinderella post-season.
However, the Chiefs turned to their fearsome defense-and-rebounding combo to blank their determined foes the rest of the way and earn the long-awaited wooden MHSAA trophy.
“This feels amazing,” said Canton Head Coach Kayla Bridges, who was a key member of two Canton teams that advanced to the Division 1 semifinals over a decade ago. “The last three seasons we’ve fought hard during the regular season, made it to the district final, then lost.
“Those district final losses burn a little bit differently than the regular-season losses, so to be able to get here and get the job done means everything.
“I’m so proud of this group of girls. They earned this tonight. They’ve worked so hard and made my job easy. They live in the gym and I live in the gym with them. They’ve definitely put in the work.”
Almost-instant chemistry
It’s never easy for high school teams like Canton to mesh right away — given freshmen are playing alongside seniors and the different personalities that populate the roster.
But the Chiefs came together relatively quickly, Joiner shared.
“I think we started feeling comfortable playing with one another during summer league,” she said. “There was never any clashing of personalities. We had a lot of chemistry pretty quickly and I think it showed on the court.”
Tramble and Joiner both agreed the Chiefs played with a chip on their shoulders, especially during the district tournament when they had to play an extra game while two teams (Salem and South Lyon East) received byes — even though Canton had the best regular-season record.
“Our seed and just that a lot of people didn’t think we could get here motivated us,” Tramble said.
Tough and talented
Canton’s toughness is developed in practice when they go through a series of enduring defensive and rebounding drills, one of which is called War.
“If we don’t go all out in every drill, we hear it from our coach,” Joiner said. “Our coaches preach defense and rebounding and we listen to them.”
Bridges said she sees similarities between the high-achieving Canton teams she played on and her current squad.
“Back when I played here, opponents never knew who to focus on, who to guard, because we had so many people who could get it done offensively,” Bridges said. “This year is the same. Justice sees a lot of box-and-ones and double-teams, which is hard to do against our group because we have so many other weapons that can hurt you.”
Mustangs trailed early
Northville, which fell into an 11-0 abyss, trailed 14-5 after one quarter before cutting its halftime deficit to 32-25. Whenever it looked like the Mustangs may pull to within a possession or two of the lead, Canton would counter with a series of strong defensive stands.
“They’re going to be a good team for years to come, they’re so young,” said Tramble. “Those girls knows how to play and they play hard.”
Freshman Peyton Sivier scored 13 points for the Mustangs. Nikki Grech added seven and Carly Pelon scored five.
As the last seconds wound down Friday night, a joyful and relieved Cribari heaved the ball into the air before the Chiefs came together for a jubilant group hug.
Their hard work and patience had finally paid off.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
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