Canton Charge comes up short on see-saw battle against Oklahoma City Blue
It was a back and forth physical contest that featured 16 lead changes and 12 ties but when the smoke cleared the Canton Charge, powered by the NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers, fell short of the win by three points against the Oklahoma City Blues (107-104) at the Canton Memorial Civic Center on Saturday evening.
The loss drops Canton to 2-5 as Oklahoma advances to 6-2. There was lack of excitement or drama as each quarter ended with the difference of a single basket between the two. With the game tied at 74 going into the fourth, Canton hit six for seven to go up 80-75 by Oklahoma was not to be outdone as they came roaring back scoring on their next six possessions taking a game high lead of 89-81.
The momentum swung back to the home team as they punched back with an 11-0 run that included a trio of three pointers as they regained the lead 92-89. Blue took a time out breather and responded with a 10-0 run after Oklahoma’s Reggie Williams was fouled after sinking his shot starting them off with a three point advantage. The two teams traded baskets for the remaining 2:53 leaving Canton with a three point deficit as the final horn sounded.
On the Canton side Chris Evans netted a team high 21 points along with five rebounds and five assists in 47 minutes. Quinn Cook was outstanding also as he scored 20 points with four boards, six assists and four steals (a game high) in 41 minutes. Making his Canton Charge debut Eric Moreland came off the bench for 13 points with eight rebounds, two steals and four blocks in 22 minutes of playing time.
Blue’s starters all scored in double figures with Alex Caruso hitting for a team high 22 points, eight rebounds and three steals in 34 minutes. Dakari Johnson was good for 20 points with six boards and five blocks in 38 minutes. Reggie Williams added 20 points to the score as well as two steals in 37 minutes.
The next two games on the Charge schedule are back to back home games against the Raptors 905 on Friday, December 2, 2016 at 7 p.m. when it will be dollar dog night presented by Sugardale followed by a Saturday evening contest at 7 p.m. against the Long Island Nets. Tickets start at just $8.
The Canton Charge are part of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena organization and also owned by a group led by Cavaliers Majority Owner and Quicken Loans Founder and Chairman Dan Gilbert. The group also owns and operates the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League and the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League, both of which play their games at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland.