Canton Charge pulls off miracle win against strong Toronto Raptors 905
In what many will remember as one of the most exciting games this season, The Canton Charge now at 17-23 for the season defeated the Raptors 905 who have had a stellar season of 24-17, 116-114 at the Canton Memorial Civic Center.
The Canton Charge drew first blood after the tip-off and managed not only to keep pace throughout the game but to even lead by a half dozen points at times. It was as exciting a display of basketball skills as you will ever find as both teamshad to deal with a number of questionable calls throughout the proceedings.
The real excitement came at the close of the fourth quarter when Toronto rallied to tie the score 112 all sending the game into a nail biting overtime as the entire crowd got on their feet for the two minute overtime.
With less than 8 seconds left in overtime and trailing by two, player of the game Deng Adel (who had spent 25 games with the Raptors prior to signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 15th) arched a three point prayer while being fouled. It was all net. The Raptors’ coach disputed the basket and foul but officials after looking at the tape declared that the basket was good, there was a foul and .4 seconds remained in the game.
Deng made good on his free throw and the Canton Charge blocked the ensuing inbound pass ending the game as the crowd went crazy as the Canton Charge claimed victory for the fifth time in a row.
Adel finished with a team high 20 points and 10 rebounds as he earned his second double-double of the season with the Charge after speinding 30 miniutes on the court. Malik Newman came off the bench hitting for 19 points with 7-of-13 shooting in 30 minutes. Jaron Blossomgame and Levi Randolph matched each other at 17 points each and Sir Dominic Pointer hit for 11 points and five rebounds off the bench with 18 minutes. In total, the Charge bench outscored the 905 reserves 49-28.
At the Raptors’ end of the court it was Jordon Loyd as high scorer for the game with 25 points. Derek Cooke Jr. hit his sixth double-double of the season out of the past seven games with 18 points and 15 rebounds. In 36 minutes. Toronto guard josh Adams returned from a three game hiatus while playing for Team USA as part of the FIBA qualifying. Adams scored 15 with five rebounds and four assists.
The next Canton Chare home game is set for this Saturday, March 2nd, as the team faces the Austin Spurs. Tip-off is 7 p.m. Saturday is Canton Charge Salute to Service Night presented by Ohio CAT. The first 2,000 fans entering will receive a Canton Charge “Salute to Service” T-shirt courtesy of Terminix.
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.