SALEM -- The East Canton Hornets got a pair of key three-pointers from Ryan Burfield and clutch free throws from Joe Cartwright and Josh Smith to stave off Youngstown Ursuline 43-40 last Friday. The win gave the Hornets a Division III sectional crown and advanced them into a Tuesday night district semifinal in Salem against St. Thomas Aquinas.
The contest was a genuine struggle from start to finish. The Fighting Irish brought a host of physically talented athletes and the experience of a tough schedule to battle against the undefeated Hornets. Neither team would back down from the other and the Hornets used their confidence to pull out the win.
Quarter one saw the Hornets misfiring from three point range, 0-8 in fact. On the other hand, the Irish sent the Hornets to the line often and they clicked for 6-of-9 at the line to stay close at 12-10.
Quarter two was more of the same. The Irish used dribble penetration to score while the Hornets missed another seven three point opportunities. However, the Hornets ended the half on a 6-0 run. Stu Campbell scored on a rebound shot, Burfield hit a pair of free throws, and Zell Bradley hit a basket to send the Hornets to halftime with a 22-21 lead.
The game's key moment came early in the second half. Burfield finally found the range for the Hornets' first trey and moments later came off a beautiful double screen to hit another, the team's only two treys of the night. This gave the Hornets a short-lived four point lead but also breathed hope into their offense.
Meanwhile, the Irish found themselves unlucky. Quick Hornet hands induced a host of turnovers and Ursuline fumbled their way to nine turnovers in the third quarter alone. Good thing too, for they scored 13 points when they were not committing turnovers to stay within one.
The game stayed the same as the final quarter opened. The Hornets got a Bradley free throw and a Josh Smith hoop while Ursuline turned the ball over on four of their first five possessions. Unfortunately for the Hornets, they then went through an 0-11 streak from the floor while an Ursuline stick back kept them close.
The Irish edged closer on a mid-quarter hoop and then hit East Canton with a half-court trap. The wily Hornets moved the ball expertly from right to left and found Burfield for a wide open trey attempt. But Burfield fooled everyone and dropped the ball inside to Campbell for a layup.
With the game on the line the Hornets continued to keep the Irish at bay with their defense and Ursuline was forced to foul. While the Hornets could have edged away, they hit just two-of-five in the closing seconds and three-of-10 in the final quarter.
But two of them were huge. First Cartwright hit the second of two freebies and the defense followed with a stop. Then, Smith did the same and his second shot gave the Hornets a critical three-point advantage.
Put at that disadvantage, the Irish were forced to their weak suit-- three-point shooting, and the Hornet defense swarmed a pair of attempts that came nowhere close, leaving the Hornets 21-0 and sectional champs.
In the end, the Hornets did not have their prettiest performance against a terrific group of athletes. But they did have a winning performance-- and in tournament, that is all that counts. Survive and advance.
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