Tuesday, December 18

The Canaan Eagles offense was in full force Tuesday night in Alexander Galt, notching season-highs in points scored, field goals, and free throws. The Pipers' defense could not control the Eagles size on the interior, allowing numerous easy baskets in the paint. The Eagles forced several turnovers through their fullcourt press, and had this game sewed up by halftime.

From the opening tip, it was apparent that the Eagles looked to exploit the Pipers lack of height and bulk on the blocks. Jake Smith and Jeremy Schichtle controlled the paint on both ends of the half, snatching rebounds on the defensive end and converting shots on the offensive end. The Eagles zone defense forced the Pipers, who struggled to consistently hit shots all night, to settle for long-range jumpers. The quick start had propelled the Eagles to a double-digit lead by the end of the first quarter, 18-8.

Canaan put a stranglehold on this game with an offensive explosion in the second quarter, dropping 27 points on the Pipers. Zack Daley led the charge for the Eagles, scoring 11 points in the quarter. The Pipers could not respond to the up tempo pace, and found themselves trailing by 25 points at halftime, 45-20.

Alexander Galt tried to cut into the lead in the second half, but could never get within 16 points of the Eagles. Zack Daley went to the bench with 4 fouls midway through the third quarter and the Eagles offense began to falter. Play became sloppy on both sides, as the physicality picked up. Adam Brousseau was hit with an intentional foul after a hard collision with a Galt Piper on the fast break. Connor Daley put the Eagles on his back through the end of the third quarter, slowing the game down and keeping the lead safe.

The Pipers aggressively tried to shut down the Eagles in the final frame, but were unsuccessful. Zack and Connor Daley paced the offense through the fourth quarter, scoring from the inside and outside. Late in the game, Zack was knocked to the ground on a fast break layup attempt. Connor and a Galt Piper received double technical fouls immediately thereafter for confronting each other and initiating unnecessary contact. Level heads prevailed, and the Eagles cruised to the victory by a score of 70-45.

This game might have been much closer had it not been for the Eagles' stellar performance at the free throw line. Canaan shot a resounding 88% (15-17) from the charity stripe, led by Zack Daley, who made 10 of 11. The win lifts the Eagles' record to 3-1, with one game remaining before the Christmas break, a home game against Colebrook Friday night.