A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
By Andy Gardner.
As the 2023-24 seasons prepare to close, Salmon River played a close game against Ogdensburg Free Academy, an effort to which Taya Ransom added 18 points. Meanwhile, in boys hockey, Canton skated past Massena by a single goal.
Wednesday, Feb. 14
• Girls basketball Section 10 Class B Quarterfinal: Ogdensburg 37, Salmon River 35 – Salmon River put Ogdensburg Free Academy to the test in a hard-fought Section 10 Class B quarter-final match, ultimately prevailing 37-35. Despite being the fourth seed and coming off two victories in the NAC Central Division, the Devils found themselves trailing the Shamrocks 13-6 in the first quarter. However, they rallied to secure a spot in the semi-final game at Gouverneur.
Leading the charge for Salmon River was Ransom, who contributed 18 points, while Kaidance Sunday chipped in 11. Ariyah LaFrance and Shania Stewart also contributed with three and one point respectively.
Amaya LaFlair of OFA showcased a stellar performance, notching a game-high 20 points. She scored six crucial points during an 11-4 turnaround in the second quarter and added eight points in the fourth quarter, including a pivotal basket in heavy traffic that gave the Devils a 37-33 lead with 24.5 seconds left on the clock.
Tara Ransom, who ignited the Shamrocks’ early lead with six points in the first quarter, tried to stage a late comeback with two free throws with 5.6 seconds remaining, but the Devils managed to run out the clock. LaFlair’s impressive performance included going 5-6 at the foul line, along with four assists and three rebounds. Carlee Thompson (6 points, 10 rebounds) and Ireland McNally (5 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists) also made significant contributions in the paint. OFA’s Cadey Cole added four points to the scoreboard, while Meriam Skamperle contributed two points along with six rebounds.
• Boys hockey: Canton 4, Massena 3 – Canton emerged victorious against Massena with a final score of 4-3 at the Massena Arena. The Golden Bears mounted an impressive offensive surge, netting three goals in the last 5:04 of the second period to seize a 4-2 lead heading into the final period. Despite Bryce Flynn narrowing the gap to 4-3 just 3:03 into the third period with an assist from Drew Smutz, Canton managed to hold on for the win. The game started with Carter King putting Massena on the board just 2:39 into the game, assisted by Parker O’Neil. However, Drew Blevins responded for Canton, scoring the first of his three consecutive goals to level the score.
In the second period, JP Bouchard regained the lead for the Raiders just 2:09 in, with Flynn providing the assist. Blevins once again equalized for Canton at the 11:56 mark, before completing his hat-trick less than three minutes later. Jonney McLear extended Canton’s lead to 4-2 with 2:06 remaining in the period, assisted by Josh Ayrassian.
Meanwhile, Jake Linstad made 19 saves for the Raiders.
Daniel Creurer stood tall in the Canton net, turning away 45 shots. Blevins emerged as Canton’s top scorer with 11 goals and 11 assists, followed by Garrit Palmer with eight goals and a team-leading 20 assists. Other key contributors included Owen Logan (8 goals, 4 assists), Reid Doyle (5 goals, 5 assists), and Bob O’Shea (3 goals, 6 assists). Denner secured four victories on the season with a 3.04 goals against average.
Tuesday, Feb. 13
• Boys basketball Section X Class B play-in game, Ogdensburg 68, Salmon River 53 – The Blue Devils used center Ian Rose’s outside shooting as the fulcrum to a 36-20 second half advantage. Rose, who finished with a game-high 22 points, buried three straight jumpers in the third quarter from the elbow and then connected for a three and two other jumpers in the a nine-point fourth quarter.
Salmon River’s Edward Jones II used his shot making ability to score nine of his 20 points in the Shamocks’ second quarter run. Tahar Lazore scored 12 of his 18 points in the first half. Charif Fayad and Jayden Reardon each scored six points for SR and Logan Oakes added a 3-pointer.
OFA’s Blake Morrill buried two 3s in the third quarter and finished with 12 points while Jack Pike drilled three 3s in a 14-point effort. Andrew Loffler tallied four points to complement some nice interior passing and JV call-up Cam Cree added two points.
Reader Comments(0)