Basketball Game Preview: Canton Golden Bears vs. Potsdam Sandstoners

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Previous Games

02/14/25 - Away	29-62 L
02/06/25 - Home	35-40 L
02/23/24 - Neutral	67-35 W
02/01/24 - Away	43-34 W
12/19/23 - Home	47-42 W
+ 5 more games

Canton is 8-2 against Potsdam since December of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Canton Golden Bears will face off against the Potsdam Sandstoners at 5:45 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Canton is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They took their contest with ease, bagging a 68-28 victory over St. Lawrence Central. The Golden Bears' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Meanwhile, Potsdam came tearing into Thursday's game with ten straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 21.8 points), and they left with even more momentum. They came within a single point of losing the streak, but they secured a 42-41 W against the Blue Devils. Given the Sandstoners' advantage in MaxPreps' New York basketball rankings (they are ranked 61st, while the Blue Devils are ranked 326th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Potsdam found their leader in sophomore Ian VanWagner, who on his way to 22 points and eight boards. VanWagner's big performance that evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least 17 points. Nick Roda was another key player, putting up seven points and eight rebounds.

Potsdam's win was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 18-2. As for Canton, their victory bumped their record up to 10-4.

Canton took a serious blow against Potsdam when the teams last played last Friday, falling 62-29. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of VanWagner, who en route to 23 points in addition to eight boards and seven steals. Now that Canton knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.