Thursday, December 27

The Stratford Lions hung around in this game and made the Canaan Lady Eagles work hard for this victory in the opening round of the North Country Christmas Tournament. Despite facing a double-digit deficit at halftime, the Lions roared back in the third quarter to give the Lady Eagles a scare. Unfortunately for Stratford, Canaan had too much left in the tank, and dominated the fourth quarter to get the win 53-36.

The Lady Eagles controlled the first half, hitting shots and forcing the Lions into turnovers and poor shots. From the tempo of the game, it appeared that this one was heading towards a blowout. However, Stratford was able to minimize the damage, trailing by only 12 points at halftime, 30-18.

The Lions came out of the break with intensity and fire, opening the third quarter on a 10-2 run to cut the Canaan lead to four at 32-28. The Lady Eagles were able to get a few buckets before the end of the quarter to stop the bleeding and take a six point lead into the final quarter.

The comeback attempt appeared to have worn down the Lions, who could not keep up with the Lady Eagles in the final quarter. The Canaan offense began to hit shots again, netting 17 points in the final frame en route to the victory.

Paige Marchand was the offensive catalyst for the Lady Eagles, scoring a game-high 20 points. Danielle Harris chipped in with 9, and Nicole Flagg added 7.

With a win over Pittsburg, the Lady Eagles would secure the Christmas Tournament Championship.