BY
ED WRIGHT
Dec. 10, 2009, 10:15 p.m.
There were no free-and-easy
dribble-drives down the lane Thursday night in Canton's Phase III
gymnasium.
It took a Herculean effort to
secure every rebound, and with the passion that accompanied the pursuit
of every loose ball, you would have thought there was a $100 bill
taped to each one.
As expected, nothing came easy during tough-and-rugged Canton's
early-season showdown against No. 1-ranked Detroit Renaissance, whose
front line resembled a forest of Redwoods.
The Phoenix finally rose from the ashes in overtime, 38-36, but
last year's Class A semifinalists knew they had been in a battle.
The loss dropped the Chiefs' record to 2-1 while the Phoenix
improved to 3-0.
Renaissance's smooth and athletic lefty Asia Boyd spearheaded
her team's offense with a game-high 15 points.
Canton's offense was energized by junior Kari Schmitt, who
poured in 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting.
Neither team led by more than four points in a toe-to-toe second
half and overtime when every trip down the court was laced with
importance.
"I thought the girls played outstanding," said Canton coach
Brian Samulski. "They did everything we asked them to do. This team
gets after it and comes to play in every game, which is why we're going
to be in every game we play.
"Renaissance has one of the best program's in the area. We want
to play teams like that to see how good we are."
The Chiefs were very good in the first half when they
constructed a 21-18 lead thanks in large part to a strong effort off
the bench from junior Kayla Bridges, who heated up quickly, hitting her
first 15-foot jumper, before finishing the half with seven points.
CarolAnn Sexauer also found her shooting stroke in the second
quarter, draining a long triple and mid-range jumper to help stake the
Chiefs to a 21-18 halftime edge.
The Phoenix amped up their defensive effort in the third
quarter, limiting the Chiefs to 2-of-9 shooting from the field, and
taking a 28-26 lead into the fourth.
The Chiefs trailed 34-30 when Kari Schmitt converted an inside
shot while getting fouled.
Ninety-two seconds later, Schmitt grabbed a slick pass from
Bridges and laid it in to knot the game at 34-all.
With the game tied with 4.9 ticks left, a Canton inbounds play
at mid-court resulted in a turnover. A last-second shot by Boyd
was blocked by Bridges, forcing the extra session.
Boyd and Sexauer traded baskets during the first two
minutes of OT.
The Phoenix Lorreall Jones broke the tie with 12 seconds left on
a driving layup.
A Sexauer eight-footer from the baseline bounced off the rim as
the buzzer sounded.
Sexauer turned in a solid night for Canton, scoring seven points
and grabbing a team-high six rebounds. Bridges added six points and
four boards while Sara Schmitt tacked on four points and five caroms.
Robyn Mack played a strong floor game for the Chiefs,
registering four assists, five rebounds and two points.
Alexis Harris twined 10 for the Phoenix. Jones led all
rebounders with 10.
Neither team shot particularly well, due in large part to the
superior defense both teams employ. Renaissance hit 16 of 46 field
goals while Canton was successful on 12 of 42 shots from the field.
Renaissance turned the ball over 13 times; Canton had 11 miscues.