TREMENDOUS 2,000! BULLDOGS OBTAIN HISTORIC VICTORY
By Keno Sultan
Stark County Prep Press writer
www.starkcountypreppress.blogspot.com
CANTON--The Canton Memorial Field House has always been an iconic coliseum for the McKinley Bulldogs boys basketball team.
They now have another iconic memory to add and one that will be remembered for a long time.
Having had to hold off a gritty North Canton Hoover basketball team, in front of a strong crowd, McKinley obtained their 2,000th victory in their illustrious tradition with a competitive 64-59 win over the Vikings and major momentum going into Friday's showdown with a 16-1 Massillon team that has Stark County's top-scoring offense.
McKinley head coach Sean Weatherspoon, a 2005 graduate and a member of their first of two straight title winning teams expressed gratitude on the accomplishment as a head coach and former athlete at the school.
"This means a lot as a player and as a coach. We are starting to get healthy and to jell at the right time and there are a lot of players who played before me who are a part of this," he said.
Early on, North Canton Hoover played with early spunk as they took an early six point lead. But an Ed Webster steal and two handed dunk allowed McKinley to creep into the Vikings early six point advantage. A second dunk by Webster issued McKinley their first lead at 20-19. But a putback by Hoover's Hunter Hershberger reclaimed the advantage along with a three-point play at 22-20.
From that point on, it was a seesaw affair ending with the visiting Vikings leading 26-24 at halftime.
Both teams traded a series of baskets on their way to a 33-33 tie as Brady McCann of Hoover and Anthony Chavers of McKinley hit three pointers. The Bulldogs went on a 6-0 run highlighted by Webster before Hershberger hit a three to stifle the run.
There was no quit in Hoover despite McKinley threatening to pull away after in the quarter. McKinley used a 23-16 third quarter to have some breathing room with eight minutes to operate in the final quarter.
"That was a huge third quarter. We started to speed them up and were able to execute down the stretch," Weatherspoon said. "North Canton played hard and Coach Bluey does a great job over there. They played hard because they didn't want to be on the wrong end of history tonight."
Two Connor Newell three point baskets cut the Bulldogs lead to one at 49-48 but a basket by Davey Thompson and a steal and lay-up by Chavers restored a seven-point advantage as they matched the Vikings 6-0 run and appeared to knockout the Vikings. But Newell, a 5'10" junior refused to let the Vikings wilt as he finished with 24 for the Vikings. Hershberger had 17 for the Vikings.
The Bulldogs had 16 points from Jamar Keyes and Chavers.
McKinley finished Federal League play a flawless 12-0 and will prepare for the biggest exam of the season when they travel to Massillon and face a Tigers team that has flew their way to a 13 game winning streak, having obliterated Wooster 88-67 at press time.
Last season, Chris Knight delivered a game-clinching three-pointer that allowed Massillon to emerge victorious on the road 74-73. Weatherspoon knows his team cannot give up big plays to the Tigers, who thrive off of such.
"We got two days to practice and then get ready to play the biggest game of the season," he said.
The Canton Memorial Field House has always been an iconic coliseum for high school basketball and tonight, the McKinley Bulldogs entered a pantheon that no other high school can attest to.
