CANTON - Any lingering doubts that the Canton High boys basketball team can contend for the NCCC championship were cast aside Friday night.
An aggressive Avon High squad forced numerous turnovers and had a 10-point lead late in the first quarter in front of a loud crowd of about 600 or so in Canton. The Warriors turned the ball over five times on its first six possessions.
Other teams would have cracked. But on this night, the Warriors rotated in additional players and chipped away at the lead. Off the bench came junior forward Brian McLellan with six points and junior guard Luke Mentzer with two long jumpers in a 13-6 surge that got Canton back into the game.
In the second half, Canton outscored Avon 20-2 over an eight-minute span to seize control in a 67-46 victory - the largest margin of victory by Canton over Avon since another 21-point decision 25 years ago in 1982.
Senior captain Matt Getz had a career-high 18 points including 10 points and back-to-back three-point goals during the decisive 20-2 run.
"Composure was the key word," Canton coach Eric Deegan said. "We said don't put your head down. Keep going. Give them credit for keeping their composure and adjusting to the flow of the game."
The victory solidified Canton's (14-1, 7-1 NCCC) chances for a league championship. The team will contend with Avon (12-3, 8-0), Granby (13-2, 8-1) and Coventry (10-3, 7-1) for the title.
The win over Avon was considered a non-league game. Only one game against each of the NCCC's other 13 teams counts toward the league title. In the case when Canton plays a league opponent twice, it is the second game that counts as the league game.
Canton played Tolland on Tuesday and hosts Stafford on Thursday night. They have games left with East Granby and East Windsor (home, Feb. 16) before the regular season finale at Avon on Wednesday, Feb. 21, that could be for the league championship.
Like in so many games this year, Canton won this game with stellar efforts from several players. Mentzer finished with a career-high eight points. Dwayne Rivers added 18 points. Six-foot-four sophomore Chris Robitaille had only six points, but made his most crucial contributions near the backboard with six blocks and 11 rebounds.
"Canton outplayed us in many facets of the game, especially outrebounding us," Avon coach Tim Curtis said. "It is the first time we have been outrebounded in a game. We've given up leads before but what was different this time is that we usually create turnovers with our defense and we're able to get those first rebounds that spark our offense."
Canton also did a fine job in the second half of nudging Avon forwards trying to drive the baseline an inch or so under the basket, disrupting their shots.
The game was tied at 38-38 with 3:53 left in the third quarter. Canton took a two-point lead when Getz scored down low after a nice pass from Robitaille, who grabbed the offensive rebound. The Warriors extended the lead to four on a long jumper from Mentzer with 40 seconds left in the period.
But when Avon missed at the other end, Mentzer controlled the rebound and zipped up court virtually untouched. He found Getz in the corner who drained a three-pointer at the buzzer for a 7-point lead as the Canton crowd roared.
In the next 3:40, Canton outscored Avon by a 13-2 margin to ice the contest. "It was all about heart," Canton guard Joey Dionne said.
Earlier in the week, Canton beat East Windsor 53-46 in a non-league game. Rivers had 20 points while Getz added 13.
GIRLS BASKETBALL: Sarah Sapia led the Warriors (1-16, 0-10 NCCC) with nine points, but Avon had too much in a 79-26 victory. Leading scorer Sarah Getz had six points. Getz had a team-high six points in a 57-27 loss to East Windsor. Danielle Coutu also had six against the Panthers.
WRESTLING: Canton (5-24, 1-5 NCCC) finished sixth at the Groundhog Duals at South Windsor. The Warriors earned their fifth win of the season with a 48-24 win over Lyman Memorial at the Duals. They were hurt by forfeiting four weight classes (125, 189, 215, 285) in each match.
Dana Nappi (140) went 4-0 last week with two pins and a 4-2 decision over Suffield's Jim Lemire. Canton fell to Suffield last Wednesday, 49-24.