FeedsCanton wins conference championship
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Canton's Neil Sharma makes a move against Northville's Dan Kirkpatrick in the Western Lakes Conference championship game at Plymouth High School on Wednesday. Sharma scored 23 points and led the Chiefs to a 50-40 victory.The sign outside of Plymouth High School, the host site of the Western Lakes Conference Championship game, should have read: ‘The Alvin Storrs and Neil Sharma Show Now Playing.’
On Wednesday night the two elite players—Sharma for Canton and Storrs for Northville—faced off in the conference finale and gave basketball fans on both sides a great game to watch.
Together they combined for 48 of the 90 points scored in the game.
Sharma, albeit being a self-proclaimed streaky shooter, is one of the most prolific outsider shooters in the Western Lakes. His 23 points, including four triples, led the Chiefs to their first championship in 11 years with a 50-40 victory.
“I thought we needed to get out early and we needed to score,” said the junior forward. “I thought I would take it on my shoulders and try to lead the team. Once I hit the first two, I knew it was going to be a good night.”
Sharma hit two of his four triples back-to-back in the third quarter followed by a double to put Canton up by 10 points, 36-26.
Storrs and Northville should never be counted out, though.
The senior guard, arguably one of the best players in the state, scored 25 to lead the Mustangs’ efforts.
After Sharma’s eight-point flurry, Storrs scored six straight to narrow the gap, 32-36. His biggest contribution was scoring Northville’s first eight points of the game, giving the mustangs an 8-2 lead.
Canton didn’t score in the fist frame until senior point guard Ryan Langdon hit a shot at the four-minute mark. Northville had a healthy 10-6 lead after one.
Storrs brought the gymnasium to its feet with a breakaway slam-dunk in the second to put the ‘Stangs up, 15-13. However, the excitement and the spark were extinguished by a Sharma triple. Sharma hit another three to finished out the half with his Chiefs in the lead, 24-21.
Canton senior guard Josh Butler capped off the third quarter theatrics with a basket to put Canton up 38-32 at the end of three.
Five Chiefs scored in the final frame, four of which took part in a 10-2 run that gave Canton a 48-34 advantage. Canton was perfect from the line, going 6-for-6 down the stretch to put the game away.
“I have to give Canton credit,” said Northville Coach Darryl Schumacher. “They played good defense and we didn’t and we didn’t rebound well. When your shots aren’t falling you have to play harder defense and tonight we just didn’t have the legs to play enough defense to slow down Neil (Sharma). He shot the lights out.”
Although Storrs has the ability to do it all himself, Northville usually has somebody else step up and score, too. The next highest-scoring Mustang was junior David Burke with five.
“You have to have everybody on the same page and you have to make the simple things,” Schumacher said. “In the past someone has stepped up—25 is pretty good scoring—but you have to have somebody else step up and we didn’t get any of that tonight. We just couldn’t buy a basket.”
Northville won the first two meetings with Canton during the regular season and won the Western division.
“Early in the game I was thinking, ‘Here we go again’,” said Canton Coach Charlie Paye. “We didn’t really do anything different. In the first two games against them we just weren’t hitting shots and tonight we did.”
The Chiefs and the Mustangs will have the opportunity to meet again in the district tournament this week at Canton High School. Northville had a bye the first round.
“I think we will see them again next week,” Sharma said. “They’re going to be angry. I could tell at the end of the game that they were angry and they’re going to come at us. We have to do everything we can.”
