NTL BOYS' BASKETBALL: TROY USES SECOND QUARTER SURGE TO TOP CANTON (2021-01-22)

By LANCE LARCOM
Northern Tier Sports Report
CANTON — It took Troy’s Ty Barrett a quarter to get going here Friday night, but teammate Nick Williams scored all seven of his points on the night in that first frame, giving Barrett time to warm up on his way to a 26 -point night in an 82-53 Trojan win.

Canton kept the game close through much of the first quarter, answering a 6-0 Troy run with a pair of Isaiah Niemczyk free throws and a three-point play by Caiden Williams.

But a pair of 3-pointers — one each by Nick Williams and Zeb Oldroyd — would give the Trojans a 21-13 advantage after the first eight minutes.

The Warriors traded baskets with the Trojans to start the second quarter, and a Weston Bellows 3-pointer closed the gap to 27-21.  The six-point difference would be as close as Canton would get as the Trojans went on a 14-2 run, on the strength of five points each by Mason Imbt and Barrett, to close the first half with a 43-26 lead.

The Trojans kept their foot on the gas pedal coming out of the break, with Ethan Vannoy hitting the first of his two 3-pointers in the quarter, Barrett scoring at the rim and Imbt scoring twice inside, in an 11-0 run to start the third quarter.

Niemczyk hit a jumper in the lane to stop the run,  but the Warriors’ leading scorer would be bottled up by a tenacious Trojan defense the rest of the night and would finish with four points.

Troy continued to push the ball, and Barrett heated up, scoring eight points in the quarter, giving the Trojans a 64-34 lead entering the final eight minutes.

In the fourth quarter, a 3-point contest broke out, as Barrett would match Canton threes by Jannone, Matthews, and Gavin Morse with a trio of 3-balls of his own.

The Trojans’ high-scoring junior finished with 11 of his game-high 26 points in the quarter, as Troy cruised to the 82-53 win.

VanNoy added 15 points, while Imbt dominated the paint for the Trojans, scoring 14 points. Williams finished with seven points, Devin Selleck had six, and Oldroyd added five.

Jake Dietrick chipped in with four points, Owen Williams had three and Jeff Busch rounded out the scoring with two points.

For the Warriors, Jannone led with 12 points, and Weston Bellows and Williams added eight apiece. Morse had seven points, and Matthews and Cooper Kitchen each scored six points. Niemczyk added four points and Cam Bellows scored two.

The Trojans, who stay undefeated at 5-0, will travel to Williamsport Saturday to take on the Millionaires.

The Warriors, now 3-3 on the season, will host Towanda on Tuesday.

CUTLINE: Troy’s Ty Barrett drives past Canton’s Isaiah Niemczyk Friday…PHOTOS BY LANCE LARCOM