By A.J. Atkinson | Correspondent
Mogadore picked up its second lopsided division win of the week, earning a 72-53 victory over host East Canton on Friday to remain a game behind Windham in the PTC County Division.
The Wildcats (8-2, 6-1 County) saw many positives in their win over the Hornets, who fell to 3-7 overall and 2-5 in the PTC County Division. Mogadore used a 1-3-1 defense that squeezed East Canton into a total of 26 turnovers, including five in a row during a second-quarter stretch.
"We just collapsed, in the second quarter especially," East Canton coach Chad Pado said. "We didn't adjust well."
On Mogadore's side, coach Russ Swartz said he was very impressed with the 1-3-1 defense, as well as his offense's ability to adjust to the different defenses East Canton used.
"We played four different defenses tonight," Pado admitted after the game. "We were just trying to give them something they haven't seen yet."
One of those defensive sets the Hornets played was a box defense around Mogadore's Hunter Van Camp. Swartz said this was the first time his team has seen that defense this year, and was happy with how his players adjusted.
"We did a good job of getting other guys involved," Swartz said. "Them running that defense allowed more scoring for Kasey (Beard), and we also hit some well-timed 3s that opened up the floor for some easy inside scores."
East Canton also had its moments in the game. The Hornets defense began to take action in the third quarter, forcing more missed shots while holding the Wildcats to 12 third-quarter points -- their lowest output in any quarter. To Pado's dismay, the Hornets were unable to take advantage and cut Mogadore's lead as East Canton's offense was only able to produce seven third-quarter points.
"We played excellent defense in the third quarter," Pado said. "Had we put together some baskets, we could have possibly swung some momentum our way."
Looking into every aspect and situation of the game, Swartz was greatly upset with one area. With three minutes left in the game, Swartz sat his starters and only played his bench. The Hornets, who entered the final quarter with 27 points, scored most of their 26 fourth-quarter points in these final three minutes.
"It's the first time my bench has upset me," Swartz said. "They've played well so far, but tonight I wasn't pleased. They gave up points every time (East Canton brought the ball) down the floor."
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