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Yappi.com writer ALLIANCE—The North Canton Hoover Viking ship made its destination into Alliance High School. Standing in their way was the upset-minded force known as the Canton McKinley Bulldogs. The Vikings ransacked the Bulldogs for the third time this season and came away with a large bounty in the form of a 65-48 win in the Alliance Division I girls’ championship game. With the win came the booty of their fourth district title under the skillful eye of Vikings admiral Paul Wackerly while Canton McKinley for the second time in six years was resigned to a second-place finish in the district tournament dating back to their 2000-01 loss to Youngstown Boardman. The Vikings used a 38-21 scoring stretch between the second and the third quarters as they imposed their iron will on the Bulldogs early and often throughout the contest. That stretch was a conclusive factor as to why the Vikings will be playing in the Canton Division I regional tournament Tuesday night at the Canton Civic Center. The win also erased last season’s bitter 49-35 loss to Youngstown Boardman in last season’s district title game. “In the second quarter we got going there a bit and at halftime we were talking about running out the floor more and get some transition buckets. Defensively, we had to tighten up and make sure we got some breaks going, especially in the third quarter,” Wackerly said. “This was our sixth time being in the district final and our fourth title.” Point to the fact that North Canton Hoover shot 13 of 23 for a blistering 57 percent in the fourth quarter and forced the Bulldogs into 12 turnovers in the second half along with the fact of veteran experience in these title games as large reasons why the Vikings are in this position right now. North Canton Hoover also improved to 21-2 while Canton McKinley heads into the off-season as a Federal League and district tournament finalist with a respectable 17-6 record with a bright future ahead of them. The first quarter was an interesting quarter as the Bulldogs shocked the North Canton crowd by using an 8-0 run on scores with two baskets from Porsche Poole and one from Octavia Ballard and Bianca Hooten each to lead 12-9 late in the first quarter. Canton McKinley led 14-9 after the first quarter and it would be the last time the Bulldogs would see the lead. After that, center Brittany Orban along with guards Amber Witt and Stephanie Gibson took complete control of the game and the Bulldogs were searching for answers to stop the powerful Vikings backcourt tandem and Orban. At one point in the second quarter, Witt used a personal 7-0 run to crack open a lead late in the quarter to put North Canton ahead 28-23 late in the quarter, on their way to a 29-26 halftime lead. “Our girls’ skill level is handling the ball real well. It’s hard to stop kids like those three,” Wackerly said of his three starters. “We are blessed to have girls like them.” “We have a lot of young kids who have dreams of playing for North Canton Hoover and we talk about that often,” he also added. “We also feed off of each other.” Orban led the Vikings with 20 points while she was followed by Witt’s 17 and Gibson’s 16 points. Orban did her damage inside scoring 14 in the second half, all in the paint. Porsche Poole led Canton McKinley with 14 points. “It was a close game and we knew we had to come out quick and better in the first half,” Orban said. “We did a lot better in the transition process of getting the ball up the floor.” “Transition points are a key for our team and it’s important for our team,” Witt added. North Canton used a 7-0 run in the third quarter which had the Bulldogs reeling on the heels of a 42-30 deficit in the third quarter. The Vikings attack was at their peak that they held a commanding 47-35 lead after three quarters. Eight minutes later, the North Canton Hoover fans were celebrating a district title while the Alliance High School gym started to devoid itself of red and black. “It’s a much better feeling this year. Last year it was disappointing seeing how upset the seniors were last year. This year it was better to come away with a win than a loss in this game,” Witt said. Wackerly feels that his team has finally hit their peak on the season but he doesn’t want that to be an actual assurance, at least not just yet. “We hope so, not just yet though,” Wackerly warned. “I want to peak in a couple of weeks.” The North Canton Hoover Viking ship made it’s destination to Alliance High School and staked their claim as the best team in the Alliance district. STATS Field goals: North Canton Hoover 26/52 (50%), Canton McKinley 20/43 (47%). Three-point goals: North Canton Hoover 4/8 (50%), Canton McKinley 4/11 (44%). Free throws: North Canton Hoover 13/17 (76%), Canton McKinley 4/9 (44%). Turnovers: North Canton Hoover 14, Canton McKinley 23. Fouls: North Canton Hoover 9, Canton McKinley 22. Rebounds: North Canton Hoover 19, Canton McKinley 17. Records: North Canton Hoover 21-2, Canton McKinley 17-6.
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