Canton Charge is blown away by Windy City Bulls at the Q
As the blustery cold winds blew across Cleveland an even colder wind was found inside Quicken Loans Arena as the Canton Charge (8-11) were stampeded by the Windy City Bulls (8-11) 117-87. The prime time televised match-up between the two divisional foes was the inaugural game played in the spacious Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland, Ohio (home of the Canton Charge NBA affiliate Cleveland Cavaliers).
It was an ill wind for the Charge right from the start as Windy City forced 15 turnovers while holding Canton to just 30% shooting from the field. It was a combination of the Bulls’ league leading scorer Antonio Blakeney (17 points) and assignee Cristiano Felicio (first half double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds) that pushed the lead to as high as 29 as the teams took a breather as the Bulls led at the half 56-30.
The second half fared no better for Canton as the Blakeney/Felicio duo racked up a combined 19 points with 8-of-8 shooting in the third period that offset the Charge’s London Perrantes 13 points. As the teams hit the last stretch Windy City held a 30 point advantage (91-61).
There was no quarter given in the fourth as the Bulls hit for six-of-seven for 86% from the three line to swell their lead to as much as 37 points in spite of Blakeney being on the bench for the final 12 minutes. Blakeney was the high scorer for the Bulls scoring 26 points during three quarters of playing time.
On the Charge side it was Marcus Thorton with 19 points that made him Canton’s leading scorer for the third straight contest (the other two games resulting in back-to-back 31 point efforts last week). The other bright spot was reserve guard Kevin Olekaibe hitting for 17 points.
Felicio’s effort for Windy City was good enough for his second double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds in 33 minutes of court time. Added to this were his four assists, three steals and a game high three blocks. Also notable for Windy City was Karrington Ward off the bench for 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting in 27 minutes.
The Canton Charge will return to the Canton Memorial Civic Center for their first ever game against the Wisconsin Herd (Milwaukee Bucks) this Saturday, December 30, 2017 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available on line at ww.cantoncharge.com or by phone by calling (866) 444-1944.
For 2017-18 Charge Nation Memberships, group outings, game day promotions and up-to-date information, head to CantonCharge.com or call 866-444-1944. The Canton Charge are part of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena organization and are also owned by a group led by Cavaliers Chairman 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.