BY CHRIS MANNINGNorthern Tier Sports Report
TROY — Troy used a defensive blitz combined with strong ball movement on offense to top Canton, 57-43, during the opening round of the NTL Showcase girls basketball tournament Thursday.
After a slow start that saw the two teams combine for 13 total points in the first quarter the Trojans broke out and took a 33-20 lead at the half.
They led by as many as 23 points midway through the third, but an 11-0 Canton run saw them cut it to 12 halfway through the fourth.
Troy responded with a 5-0 spurt after that to effectively secure the win.
“We’re going to the basket, we’re sharing the ball,” Troy coach Steve Renzi said about their strong offense in the middle two quarters. “They’re young still, but they’re maturing. It didn’t look like at the end of the game - we’re learning time and possession at the end of the game.”
He was glad to see his team respond in a playoff like atmosphere - both teams had student sections and the physicality and intensity of the game is something both teams are going to see going forward.
“It’s great because we haven’t had many in the last five weeks,” said Renzi. “So it’s nice.”
Kyah Renzo had 19 points, six boards, and three steals to lead the Trojans, as Giana Renzi netted 17 points, four assists, and four steals.
Raelyn Woodward finished with eight points, four rebounds, and two blocks, while Izzy Renzi finished with six points, seven steals, and two blocks.
Emma Mickley notched five points with seven boards, as Haidyn Watson chipped in with two points, and two blocks.
On the Canton side Coach Ryan Van Noy knew it was going to be tough against the NTL Large School champs, but felt his team improved from the contest.
“Steve’s done a great job with them all year long,” Van Noy said. “Their defense has given everybody problems, and it gave us problems tonight, but there were times when I thought we handled it well. We made a late push there in the second half, and, honestly, this is the type of game that we need going into the district playoffs, so it was good. Obviously, I’d like to come out on top, and, again, my hat’s off to Troy, they played well, but it was good for us.”
At one point in the late third quarter, early fourth they held the Trojans scoreless for five minutes. They were able to score 11 points during that span, showing that they are capable of runs against a good team.
“It’s really big, and I think it kind of opens the kids’ eyes to see what they can really do against good competition,” remarked Van Noy. “Some kids stepped up tonight and made some big plays down the stretch that closed that gap, and that’s what we need. We need more complete players, and getting in a game like this, and getting in those situations and making good things happen benefits us tremendously going down the stretch.”
Cailyn Van Noy had 20 points, eight boards, four steals, and three assists to lead Canton, with Stella Rockwell adding 10 points, and five rebounds.
Daveian Crowley had seven points, and 10 boards, as Cheyenne Fitch added four points.
Alexis McRoberts had two points, and 10 boards, with Danah Wesneski getting three steals.
It was a defensive slugfest at the start with Troy leading 2-1 four minutes into the game.
A 4-0 run put them up 5-1, but a Crowley bucket saw Canton close it to 5-3.
The final two minutes were a free throw contest, with Troy going 3-for-4, and Canton 2-for-2, for the 8-5 Trojan lead.
Things ramped up quickly in the second quarter as the game tuned into a shoot out, beginning with a Renzo lay-up right toff the bat.
After a Crowley free throw, Troy got buckets from Giana Renzi, and Renzo in back to back possessions for a 14-6 lead.
A Crowley basket made it 14-8, but Renzo came back with a bucket to double up the Warriors.
A Van Noy jumper cut it to 16-10 and the tit-for-tat was on.
Giana responded with a basket, but then Van Noy came back with a 3-ball for an 18-13 score.
After a pair of Renzo free throws Van Noy found Rockwell for a jumper to make it 20-15.
That’s when Troy went on a 10-0 run sparked by an Izzy 3-ball. After a Giana And-1 Woodward hit a runner to make it 28-15.
Giana ended the stretch tie a lay-up for the 15-point lead with 1:35 left in the half.
Canton came back with a 5-0 spurt as Rockwell hit a pair of freebies, followed by Van Noy hitting another 3-pointer.
However, Renzo had the final say of the quarter, hitting a 3-ball for the 13-point lead going into the half.
The Trojans carried that momentum through to the third quarter as they opened with a 7-0 run to make it a 20-point game. Mickley opened with a pair of free throws, followed by 5-straight from Renzo.
A Van Noy jumper ended that stretch, but Troy scored four straight after that for their largest lead of the game, 44-22.
Canton fought back with a free throw from Rockwell, then a jumper out of Fitch.
Troy responded with a Woodward lay-up, then a pair of free throws from Renzo for a 23-point lead.
Van Noy would get her team back into the game with back to back 3-pointers - the second coming at the buzzer - to make it 48-31 going into the fourth.
It was a slow start to the fourth with neither team scoring for the first two-and-a-half minutes.
Rockwell broke the seal with a 3-pointer, followed by a Crowley lay-up to for a48-36 score with 4:03 left to play.
Woodward would get Troy’s first points of the frame with a free throw, then scored off a Giana pass for a 51-36 ball game.
A pair of Renzo freebies with 2:09 left extended the lead to 17 points.
Canton would out score Troy 7-3 over the final two minutes of the game.
Canton will now wait to see who they get in the opening round of the district playoffs while Troy moves on to the NTL Showcase Championship game on Saturday at Mansfield University with a 6:30 p.m. tip-off.
The Trojans are going for their third straight Showcase title against a different opponent for the third time - the first was Williamson, with last year being a win over NEB.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Renzi said about their third match-up of the season against the Black Knights. “It’s going to be whoever gives the most effort.”
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PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING
