Canton cruises into 'Sweet 16' after crushing Hartland in Regional semis

BY ED WRIGHT
March 9, 2010, 11 p.m.

  The sauna-like conditions inside the Ann Arbor Pioneer gymnasium Tuesday night were nothing compared to the Canton girls basketball team's turn-up-the-heat full-court press.

  Led by its smooth-operating sophomore point guard Bailee Maggert, Hartland played toe-to-toe with the Chiefs for most of the first half before eventually succumbing to Canton's sweltering baseline-to-baseline pressure.

  Canton outscored the Eagles 30-13 in the second half on the way to a no-sweat 58-34 victory. With the win the Chiefs improved to 22-1 and advanced to Thursday's "Sweet 16" Regional final contest against Ann Arbor Huron.

  Thursday's game will tip off at 7 p.m. at Pioneer.

  "It was kind of hard to get used to the heat at first, but once we got used to it, we played our regular game," said Canton junior forward Kayla Bridges, who tallied seven points and five rebounds. "We were all dripping sweat during warm-ups, but once the game started, we got through it."

  The Eagles had a difficult time getting through the Chiefs' defense in the second half, hitting just three of 14 field goals while turning the ball over nine times.

  "I thought we were much better defensively in the second half," said Canton coach Brian Samulski. "No. 4 for them (Maggert) is a really good player and I think by picking up full, we were able to wear her down a little bit. We made her work the entire court the whole time, which was to our advantage.

  "Offensively, I thought we played well inside and we were able to score around the rim."

  Canton's Kari and Sara Schmitt continued their season-long success in the paint, combining for 31 points (Kari, 16; Sara, 15) and 14 rebounds (Kari, 10; Sara, four).

  Junior shooting guard CarolAnn Sexauer offered a spark off the bench for the Chiefs, scoring 10 points, six of which were the result of a pair of long triples. Sexauer also grabbed five rebounds for the Chiefs, who out-boarded the Eagles, 28-14.

  Although the Chiefs never trailed in the game, they had a hard time shaking the disciplined Eagles in the first half. Hartland trailed just 23-20 with 2:29 to play before halftime after Jill Carland drained a pair of free throws.

  However, the Chiefs closed the second quarter on a 5-1 spurt -- the final basket coming on a momentum-changing steal and layup by Alyssa Cottrell -- before outscoring the Eagles, 17-4, in the third period to ensure their Regional final encounter with the River Rats.

  Hartland managed just one fourth-quarter field goal, an and-one layup by Holly Erickson.

  "At halftime, we talked about what was really hurting us defensively, and that was their dribble drives and their threes," said Bridges. "We had to come out and get on their shooters and stop them from getting into the lane so easy, and we were able to do that."

  The Chiefs thrived at the free throw line, burying 21 of 36 attempts. They were sizzling from the field, sinking 17 of 34 shots, including all four of their fourth-quarter attempts.

  Hartland, on the other hand, made just five of 20 field-goal attempts over the final three quarters after making five of 10 in the first quarter.

  Shelby Maggert led Hartland with 12 points. Carland added 10.

  Ann Arbor Huron will provide a challenging for the Chiefs in the Regional final. The River Rats upended North Farmington in Tuesday night's first Regional semifinal contest.

  "They're an athletic group, a very good team," said Samulski of Huron. "They've only lost to great programs this season. It will be a battle, but this time of year it's a battle every time you play."

  Ed Wright can be reached at (734) 453-1980 or info@plymouthcantonsports.com.