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Yappi.com writer CANTON--Canton McKinley basketball is currently ranked #1 in the state of Ohio in Division I. They are also ranked #1 in the hearts of their fans. They are #1 on their home court with 30 straight wins. And you can add #1 in the Federal League to that list. Ricky Jackson's fierce two-handed dunk gave the mighty Bulldogs a major jolt going into the locker room, where they made adjustments at halftime and effectively slammed the door on the visiting Panthers in the third quarter on their way to a punishing 60-34 win at the Canton Memorial Field House. The Bulldogs outscored Perry 17-6 in the third quarter, with Jackson and center Raymar Morgan owning 14 of the team's 17 points in the period. Morgan recorded 10 points in the quarter and finished with 20 on the evening. "We were focused on what we had to do in the second half and we found a way to establish our game inside," Jackson said of the Bulldogs dominance in the second half. "Ricky is a fun teammate to be around and I love his play on both ends of the floor very much," Morgan said. When the first quarter ended at 8-2, it seemed that the Panthers were the team that was intent on giving the Bulldogs fits. However, between the next two quarters, the Division I state poll and tournament champions took control of the contest, outscoring the visitors 36-18. Canton McKinley head coach Dave Hoover praised the inside game of his leaders after a slow start. "We wanted to establish the ball inside to our inside players (Jackson and Morgan) and they both took the game over," he said. "And we did a good job of holding Kenny Frease below his average, he is a good player. We forced the rest of their guys to try and beat us." Frease scored 32 against a porous Massillon interior. But it was a different story against the Bulldogs as he only scored 14 to lead the Panthers. Canton McKinley wrapped up their second straight Federal League basketball regular season title and the top seed in the Federal League tournament. But just because the Bulldogs swept through the entire league at 7-0, don't get the perception that the Bulldogs are a shoot-from-the-hip team that just shows up while the opposition rolls over and play dead. Hoover doesn't expect that in the Federal League tournament anytime soon. "Will we run through the league tournament like we did? Not a chance," the revered coach said. "Teams will adjust to us the second time around and we must be ready for it." Hoover put a cap on the evening by throwing a series of bones to the fans and student section of McKinley High School. "I love our fans. Our fan support is great. I talk to my players all the time about how I know how Canton McKinley fans really are and how they all are really like," Hoover said. "They are the best fans in Ohio and we are grateful to have them here in Ohio." Canton McKinley proved again that not only are the #1 in Ohio, but they are #1 to their loyalists, on their court, and in the Federal League. STATS: Field Goals: Canton McKinley 22/62 (35%), Perry 14/35 (40%). Three-point shots: Canton McKinley 2/9 (22%), Perry 2/7 (29%). Free throws: Canton McKinley 14/21 (66%), Perry 4/7 (57%). Fouls: Canton McKinley 10, Perry 11. Turnovers: Canton McKinley 19, Perry 31. Rebounds: Canton McKinley 22, Perry 16.
Records: Canton McKinley 13-2, Perry 10-5. JV game: Canton McKinley 60, Perry 34 CANTON--A 20-6 third quarter, part of a Canton McKinley 14-0 run proved to be the edge the hosts needed as they stopped the Perry reserve team 60-34. James Hall led the Canton McKinley attack with 20 points. "We came out and ran the offense in the second half and played solid defense in the win," Bulldog leader David Thompson said. "Hall took the game over for us tonight. He didn't do well against Massillon but he took it upon his shoulders to lead us tonight." |
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