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Yappi.com writer CANTON-Tonight, the McKinley Bulldogs served unspoken notice to the rest of the Federal League: Be prepared to run! But the Fitch Falcons just couldn't keep up. Canton McKinley, the #1 team in Division I used runs of 6-0, 25-0, and two 11-0 runs to deal the Falcons a 97-30 setback Tuesday night in the opening round contest of the Federal League tournament. With the win, the Bulldogs improved their record to 15-2 on the season and in addition to that, now possess a 6-1 record in the tournament since play began in the 2004 season. How did the Bulldogs strike like lightning? They shot a scorching 39 of 59 from the field for 67 percent from the field and forced the Falcons into 32 turnovers in the contest. At one point going back to the end of the first quarter, they connected on 11 straight baskets. Canton McKinley also had an assortment of dunks from Raymar Morgan and junior guard Morgan Williams. Their attack was so dominant that every player from the Bulldogs bench saw time on the floor. "We got after them on defense early and jumped on them right out of the gate. We were able to run our patterns successfully and when you have good players, you get them the ball and that is when good things can happen," Canton McKinley floor conductor Dave Hoover said. "But you have to give Austintown-Fitch a lot of credit. They were shorthanded tonight and their players did not quit or give up. They are down right now but they are working hard to get back to where they were (in 2004)." How far has the Falcons fallen off the mountain? It was two years ago that under the way of former Falcons head coach Gary Conroy that the program recorded the biggest upset win of the 2004 season, a 57-52 win over the undefeated and powerful North Canton Hoover Vikings, on their way to a second-place finish in the sectional-district tournament behind Canton McKinley. Since then, graduation and players leaving for other schools have riddled the program. Conroy is no longer the master running the ship. The program is now in the hands of head coach Roger Day, whose team has been outscored 205-56 in two games against the Bulldogs this season. "We have to work and practice harder if we are ever going to on the level of Canton McKinley and beat them," he said in a morose tone. The hosts used a similar first quarter to the one they had in dismantling Zanesville earlier in the season. Lay-ups by Ricky Jackson, Todd Brown, and Sedelle Broyles engineered an early 6-0 run in the contest. Another 6-0 run punctuated by a thunderous dunk by Morgan forced the Falcons into an early timeout as the Bulldogs opened up a 21-5 lead with only a minute to play in the opening quarter. That run began the Bulldogs 25-0 run in which the hosts just could not miss from the field. By the time Fitch player Tom Hahn scored on a jump shot, the hosts were well in command with a 38-7 lead. That only made the hosts mad as they went off on another scoring binge, this time an 11-0 run that included more lay-ups by Jackson, Parker, two dunks by Morgan and a three-pointer by Brown. The Bulldogs led 53-12 at halftime and they were on their way to another decisive victory. Raymar Morgan led the Bulldogs with 23 points. Jackson had 16 and Parker chipped in with 14. "We had a good time tonight," Hoover said of the rout. "But we know that there will be tougher games down the road and we cannot afford to get complacent, including with the teams we will face down the road." Tonight the McKinley Bulldogs served unspoken notice to the rest of the Federal League: Be prepared to run! But the Fitch Falcons just couldn't keep up. STATS Field goals: Canton McKinley 39/59 (67%), Austintown-Fitch 11/26 (42%). Three-point goals: Canton McKinley 3/9 (33%), Austintown-Fitch 2/3 (66%). Free throws: Canton McKinley 3/7 (43%), Austintown-Fitch 5/9 (55%). Turnovers: Canton McKinley 10, Austintown-Fitch 32. Fouls: Canton McKinley 6, Austintown-Fitch 3.
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