Canton Charge trampled by Wisconsin Herd
On paper it looked like a walk through for the Canton Charge (12-17), powered by the Cleveland Cavaliers as they faced the Wisconsin Herd (7-22) but sometimes the paper lies as the Herd trounced the Charge 117-105 Friday evening at the Canton Memorial Civic Center. The victory was the third straight for the gjuys from the even more frozen north.
Canton managed to squeek ahead by one point at the end of the first period that saw seven lead changes. During the short break between quarters, Wisconsin found a weakness as they opened up to a 16-2 run to take 13 point lead of 39-26 at the half. The Herd hit for 59% from the field making good on 17-of-29 shots and Wisconsin guard Nick Johnson threw in 2-of-3 from the three point arc.
The Herd’s hot shooting combined with a Charge cool down of 1-of-6 from the perimeter for 17% made for a long stretch. Wisconsin added insult to injury as the out-rebounded the Charge 16-6 while outscoring them 22-14 in the paint. As the teams took a mid game break the score board stood at 65-49 against the home team.
The third quarter got livelier as Canton went on an 8-1 tear as they cut the lead to single digits at 57-66. Wisconsin fought back with a 7-0 run of their own pushing the lead to 73-57. Canton clawed their way back to within nine with 3:46 left in the third but once more the Herd ran 7-0 to push the lead back up to 16.
Canton still would not quit as in spite of trailing by as much as 15 fought back to a five point deficit of 110-105 as the clock wound down to 1:24. That was the closest that Canton would come as Wisconsin ended the game with a last 7-0 run as the score stood at 117-105 at the final buzzer.
Williams earned his second double-double of the season with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists in 38 minutes. Williams is shooting at 67% for his last five games and averaging 21.2 points per game. Scoochie Smith added a season high 23 points with 10-of-16 shooting and six assists in 41 minutes. Sir Dominic Pointer was good for 17 points eight rebounds and four assists.
On the Wisconsin end of the court it was Christian Wood scoring a game high 28 points and 15 rebounds in 35 minutes. Former Charge forward Bonzie Colson scored ight points in 32 minutes. Michael Qualls hit for 20 points and Nick Johnson finished with 16 points and 11 assists.
Canton returns to the Canton memorial Civic Center for a battle against the Central Division leading Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. The first 2,000 fans in attendence will receive a limited edition pair of Canton Charge socks.
For 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 Monsters of the American Hockey League, who play their games at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland.