CANTON — It was cat-and-mouse for the Howell boys basketball team in the first half of Tuesday’s KLAA quarterfinal.
Canton rolled out to a12-2 lead, but the Highlanders ended the first quarter down by four, 16-12.
The Chiefs rolled out to another sizable lead in the second quarter, only to see the Highlanders reel them back in.
Then, at halftime, the Chiefs found another gear, going on a 20-3 run in the third quarter and putting the game out of reach in a 68-46 triumph that could have been a lot worse.
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“We got sped up (in the second half), and the thing against Canton you try not to do is get sped up,” Howell coach Nick Simon said. “We had some mental blunders, and against a good team, you can’t give them 10-15 points in transition and expect to be close in a game where they’re good at half-court as well.”
The Chiefs (17-0) pressured the Highlanders relentlessly in the third quarter, converting turnovers into points while running up a total of 27 in the period.
“I thought we lost our cool,” junior Josh Palo said. “We had a couple of turnovers that led to layups and we got out of our rhythm, and that’s what swung the game.”
In the fourth quarter, Canton coach Jimmy Reddy opted not to run up the score. The Chiefs held onto the ball for long stretches of time en route to the victory.
“We turned the ball over 16 times in three quarters,” Simon said, “and you’re not going to come out on the good of that very often.”
Still, he found rays of hope.
“We just have to work on some things and give guys like Tony Honkala experience in bringing the ball up court,” Simon said. “He’s going to learn a lot from that. I think we’ll grow and learn a lot and be ready for the challenge next time.”
The junior varsity game, which Canton also won handily, was delayed for more than a half-hour due to a leak in the gym’s roof. The dripping water eventually subsided, and there were no incidents during the varsity game.
The Highlanders now have a week and a half to finish the regular season and prepare for the state tournament, which begins March 5.
“We can’t underestimate these games,” Simon said. “We have to keep improving each and every game. These are games where you can work on details that tend to be thrown out the window when you’re playing a real competitive game like this for a title. The next two games we can work on our stuff.”
Palo led the Highlanders with a game-high 18 points.
