Preview: Canton Warriors vs. Athens Wildcats
Canton is 0-10 against Athens since January of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Canton Warriors will look to defend their home court against the Athens Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Canton had to endure a four-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Williamson on Saturday and snuck past 50-48. The win was just what Canton needed coming off of a 65-38 defeat in their prior match.
Canton's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Ben Fitch, who scored 13 points along with nine rebounds and two steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Brayden Vroman, who scored 12 points along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Athens had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.5 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Saturday. They were the clear victor by a 71-50 margin over Vestal. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win Athens has posted since December 6, 2023.
Connor Mosher was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 32 points and 11 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. Nick Jacob was another key contributor, scoring ten points.
Canton's win bumped their record up to 6-10. As for Athens, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Canton have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 27.9 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Athens, though, as they've been averaging only 30.5 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Canton took a serious blow against Athens in their previous matchup back in January of 2023, falling 59-22. The matchup was all but decided by halftime, at which point Canton was down 33-12.
