It’s a formula that’s worked well so far and Canton is sticking to it.
Controlling the paint helped the Chiefs bull their way to a regional championship Thursday night as Canton beat Farmington Mercy, 47-35.
“We always like to attack defenses,” said Canton senior forward Kayla Bridges, who scored 12 points. “Their press made it easy for us to get in the lane. That’s what we tried to do early on.”
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The Chiefs led 22-13 at the half and pushed the advantage to 31-13 before Mercy made a run.
“They’re a big, strong, physical team,” said Mercy coach Gary Morris of Canton. “They do a great job of communicating on defense. ... Our inability to score in the first half didn’t let us get pressure on them.”
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In the third quarter, Mercy was ignited by eight straight points from senior Janelle McQueen, who hit back-to-back 3-pointers.
“She’s been our key player all year,” Morris said. “We were going to go with her, sink or swim.”
Mercy freshman Candice Leatherwood was key in the run, too, scoring five of her eight points as her team pulled within five, 36-31, by the end of the third quarter.
“We were trying to put pressure on them and make them turn the ball over,” Leatherwood said. “We were hoping to get them rattled. We made a good run and got within five, we just couldn’t pull it off.”
Canton coach Brian Samulski said his team was waiting all game for Mercy to make a run.
“They can score in bunches,” he said. “We knew it was coming. That’s the good thing about having a senior group. They handled it and finished the game.”
Canton’s ability to get rebounds and get to the free throw line was a huge difference in the outcome.
The Chiefs were 24-for-34 from the stripe, while Mercy was 5-for-10.
“That’s where a lot of our offense comes from,” said Canton senior forward Sara Schmitt, who didn’t make a field goal all night, but was 4 of 9 at the line. “We get the ball inside and kick it out or score.”
Free throws were key in the fourth quarter as Canton was in the bonus with nearly six minutes left in the game. The Chiefs shot 9-for-13 from the line in the final frame.
Mercy (18-6) was held to just one field goal and two free throws down the stretch and Canton was able to expand its lead back to double digits.
“This is one more step toward our goal,” Schmitt said. “This was the last game on our home court for the seniors. It was important not to lose the regional title on our home court.”
Canton advances to quarterfinal action, where the Chiefs will face Midland, which beat Clarkston, 40-24.
The quarterfinal will take place in Davison at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
