Canton Repeats as Class S Girls Basketball Champions

UNCASVILLE, CT — History has a way of repeating itself, which fortunately worked out well for the Canton High School girls basketball team Saturday.

For the third straight year, the Warriors traveled to the Mohegan Sun Arena to face Thomaston in the Class S girls basketball finals, and for the second consecutive season, Canton took home the championship plaque.

Senior Emily Briggs canned 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, leading the Warriors to a 60-51 victory over the Golden Bears.

Canton, the number three seed, grabbed a 15-9 lead after one quarter, capped by a lengthy buzzer-beating three-point shot by Briggs. A 6-0 run early in the second quarter helped the Warriors assume a 30-18 lead at intermission.

Baskets by Belle Magna and Abigail Skinner to open the second half gave Canton its largest lead at 34-18, but Thomaston showed why it has been so successful in recent years by battling back with an 8-0 run of its own to trim the margin to eight, and eventually seven at 41-34 heading into the final eight minutes.

Canton coach Brian Medeiros said he became concerned near the end of the third quarter, when a 16-point lead had shrunk to six and Briggs limped off the court following a pileup under the Thomaston basket.

"I didn't realized she was really bothered until the assistant coaches said she was hurt," Medeiros said. "I talked to her between quarters and it was almost like a bruise she had to rub out a little bit, but she said she was ready to go. If she comes up hobbled, we're obviously not the same team."

The injury had no apparent long-lasting effects, as Briggs returned to the game to start the fourth quarter and tallied six straight points to re-establish a double-digit advantage for the Warriors. Again, Thomaston refused to fold, netting eight straight points to close the gap to 49-42 with 3:45 remaining.

Canton iced the championship by converting seven free throws in the final two minutes.

Freshman Abigail Charron scored 15 points and Magna added 10 for Canton, which finished with a 22-3 record. Julia Quinn had 23 points and Casey Carangelo scored 15 for fifth-seeded Thomaston, which wound up 20-5.

Photo credits: Tim Jensen