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Playing as one again, Canton boys defeat Montgomery

By Chris Masse 7 min read

MONTGOMERY–When the basketball preseason opened, practices were relatively lonely since nearly half the team was still playing football as Canton steamrolled its way toward the Class A state semifinals. Practices also started before the sun rose, beginning at 6:15 a.m.

That really was the only option because coach Brock Kitchen also served as the football team’s offensive coordinator. No player complained. When the football players returned, they practiced just twice before playing their first game. Again, nobody complained.

That mentality has been a constant all season. Whatever the situation, this team is sticking together. So, really, this entire unexpected, yet successful season is a triumph of Canton being a selfless, hard-working group.

All the traits which have helped Canton win 12 games were on display again Monday against Montgomery. Every player in the main rotation dealt multiple assists and the Warriors produced a whopping 20 assists on 24 field goals as they routed Montgomery, 56-25. A team which lost three starters and key reserves from last year’s squad is now 12-9 and came within a shot of capturing the NTL-II championship. Canton showed exactly how it has done so Monday night.

“No one is selfish. Nobody cares how many points they have. It’s just a good team,” Weston Bellows said after again stuffing the stat sheet. “We have a lot of guys who haven’t seen much varsity time until this season and who just want to win and do what’s best for the team.”

Few outside the locker room expected Canton to win this many games. That included Kitchen who said he would have been surprised last November if someone told him the Warriors would be playoff-bound at this point. The excuses were there, too, if Canton did stumble but this team never looked toward them.

These Warriors believed they could be successful and, working together, they have proven the doubters wrong. Canton has won six of its last seven games and its lone loss during that time came in overtime. The Warriors will play at Northwest in the District 4 Class AA quarterfinals after meeting North Penn-Mansfield in the NTL Showcase semifinals Thursday. However this season plays out, Canton already has come quite a long way.

“This team has worked so hard. I told them the other day in the locker room, this is the best team I have coached,” Kitchen said. “They’re just unselfish. They may not be the best basketball players (I’ve coached), but they’re the best team that works together.”

Canton showed it all night against a Montgomery team fighting for its playoff life. The lead changed hands four times in the first quarter before Canton took over in the second quarter and built a 27-11 halftime lead. The Warriors went on a 15-0 run which bridged the middle quarters, pushing the lead to 21 early in the third quarter. Montgomery would pull no closer than 19 the rest of the way and Canton imposed the mercy rule with five minutes remaining.

Again, it was the result of super chemistry. Canton effectively moved the ball inside and outside and set up good shots for teammates. All six players in the rotation scored at least five points and each made quality impacts at key times throughout the game. Equally impressive, Canton relentlessly competed on defense and on the glass with every starter grabbing at least four rebounds and the defense limiting Montgomery (9-12) to 16 points over the last three quarters.

“We like being the underdog. You want to overperform and show them that you’re better than that,” Bellows said. “I think our team basketball is the reason we’ve had success. We lost a few games throughout the season, but our ball movement has gotten better and better.”

Bellows is a two-time all-state football player whose leadership is even better than his production in both sports. Because he was so determined to maximize everything he and the football team could do last fall, Bellows was unable to touch a basketball all season. The same held true for the other football players.

Still, it’s hard to tell now that those players had virtually no preseason. Bellows has developed into one of the NTL-II’s top players and was the engine powering Canton again Monday, scoring 11 points, dealing six assists, grabbing five rebounds and blocking two shots. Montgomery made a concerted effort to slow Bellows, but he turned that against the Raiders with his passing setting up high-percentage shots.

“Weston is such a great leader and he gives absolutely everything he has on the court,” Kitchen said. “If you have a leader like Weston, you’re either going to follow him or you’re going to get left behind and all these kids have followed him.”

Each player has made strong contributions throughout the season and Monday was no different. Kyle Kapichok has provided Canton a nice inside presence and scored a game-high 14 points, also producing seven rebounds and three assists. Hunter Brackman heated up in the third quarter, scoring nine points and dealing two assists. Austin Allen, another football all-star, had eight points, five rebounds and three assists. Ben Fitch was all over the boards, pulling down 10 rebounds, and Lance Route provided a lift off the bench, scoring five second quarter points which helped change the game’s complexion.

“We lost about our whole starting lineup from last year and some of our bench players from last year, so I think a lot of people thought we were really going to drop off,” Bellows said. “For the most part, we’ve done better than what we were expected to do and that’s because we have a bunch of guys who are unselfish. We’re playing for each other.”

Rayne Parrish scored 12 points for Montgomery and Noah Gearhart collected six rebounds. The Raiders still could earn Class AA’s final playoff berth but need current No. 8 Northeast Bradford to lose its finale. If that happens and Montgomery defeats Bucktail in its finale the eighth spot could be determined by a razor thin margin in the power rankings.

Canton alleviated that concern by clinching its berth last week. Kitchen said he told his players when the season started to stay in the hunt until Christmas. He figured by then, they would be starting to get into basketball shape and could potentially become dangerous.

That is exactly what happened. The Warriors started 1-3 but captured a Christmas Tournament title and started taking off, nearly winning the program’s first league title since 1972. From having half a roster and starting practices while many were still sleeping, Canton has made this a season to remember.

“They’ve been a joy to coach,” Kitchen said. “They work hard all the time and that’s all I can ask.”

“Quite a few of our starters didn’t touch a basketball until a couple days before our first game,” Bellows said. “Coming out and having a solid season and overcoming everything we’ve had to, I think that’s huge.”

CANTON (56)

Weston Bellows 5 0-0 11, Kyle Kapichok 6 2-4 14, Austin Allen 3 2-2 8, Hunter Brackman 4 0-0 9, Ben Fitch 2 0-0 5, Brayden Vroman 2 0-0 4, Lance Route 2 0-0 5. Totals 24 4-6 56.

MONTGOMERY (25)

Rayne Parrish 5 0-0 12, Hayden Wilt 2 0-0 4, Noah Gearhart 1 0-0 2, Parker Bennett 0 0-0 0, Demaj Stewart Williams 1 0-2 2, Peyton Cox 0 0-0 0, Parker Persing 1 0-0 3, Braiden Winter 1 0-0 2. Totals 11 0-2 25.

Canton 12 15 14 15-56

Montgomery 9 2 9 5-25

3-pointers: Canton 4 (Bellows, Brackman, Fitch, Route); Montgomery 3 (Parrish 2, Persing).

Records: Canton 12-9. Montgomery 9-12.

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