Balanced Scoring Lifts Canton Past South Shelby
Canton, MO – The Canton Tigers returned home for high school basketball action against the South Shelby Cardinals and held off a late rally to secure a 70-65 victory.
Canton came out explosive in the first quarter, scoring 20 points to take early control. Ian Burbridge, Kaden Oliver, and Bryson Brewer each scored six points to pace the Tigers. Defensively, Canton limited South Shelby to 11 points, with Peyson Larrick accounting for nine of the Cardinals’ points in the opening frame.
South Shelby responded in the second quarter with 20 points of its own, but the Tigers continued to answer, adding 18 points to maintain the lead. Oliver led the way in the quarter with six points, and Canton carried a 38-31 advantage into halftime.
The Tigers turned in a strong defensive performance in the third quarter, holding the Cardinals to just nine points while scoring 16. Freshman Bryson Brewer led Canton during the stretch as the Tigers extended their lead to 54-40 heading into the fourth quarter.
South Shelby mounted a comeback attempt in the final period, pouring in 25 points, but Canton stayed composed down the stretch. The Tigers added 16 points in the quarter and held off the Cardinals’ rally to walk away with a 70-65 win.
Head Coach Dalton Armontrout liked the effort, but knows there are improvements needed. “I thought the effort was there. Defense was there; we hit some shots. But we got to rebound better, and we gotta finish games.” Coach Armontrout discussed the fourth quarter. “We were up 14 going into the fourth quarter, we relaxed and let it go, and South Shelby came crawling back. They hit some tough shots, too, but credit to them, but they didn’t give up. So we gotta fix some things in practice and get ready for Thursday.”
Bryson Brewer led the team with 18 points. Armontrout discusses adding the freshman to the starting lineup and how he has affected the team, “We put him in the starting lineup, he’s come off the bench, and he scores, so we thought we’d bring him out tonight and start him, and he played extremely well. He’s still catching up to a high school pace, but overall, he’s doing well.” Kaden Oliver, Ian Burbridge, and Drew Gottman all entered double-digit scoring along with Brewer. “We had four in double digits tonight, which is good to see. We’re sharing the ball, finding an open guy. Which helps us too, cause no one can key in on one guy.”
The Tigers improve to 5-2 on the season. They will stay at home, where the Mendon Unity Mustangs of Illinois will take on the Tigers on December 18th, with a scheduled 7 P.M. tip-off.
POINTS LEADERS
Canton: 20, 18, 16, 16
Bryson Brewer – 18
Kaden Oliver – 17
Ian Burbridge – 14
South Shelby: 11, 20, 9, 25
Waylen Owens – 18
Peyson Larrick – 16
Colt Schmitz – 13
