Huskies Bounce Out of Canton with a Win
Canton, NY – Word of Life used a blistering start and timely second-half answers to edge SUNY Canton JV 71–66 on the road, evening the Huskies' week with a tight non-conference victory.
Fast start sets the tone
Word of Life exploded out of the gate with a 14–0 run fueled by three early threes from Ross Wilkins and Austin Hartwell plus steady playmaking from Xander Eason and Dan Morales, forcing a SUNY Canton timeout less than four minutes in. Even after Canton chipped away behind perimeter shooting from Kamari Cox, Connor Flack, and Stiles Perkins, the Huskies repeatedly answered with mid-range jumpers and rim attacks to keep the margin two possessions or more for most of the half, taking a 41–33 lead into the locker room.
Huskies' guards drive the offense
The guard trio of Wilkins, Eason, and Hartwell carried the offensive load, combining to score at all three levels and consistently create off the dribble. Eason mixed spot-up threes with driving layups, Wilkins hit multiple threes and got to the line, and Hartwell added key buckets and late free throws as Word of Life maintained a working cushion for much of the second half.
SUNY Canton JV rallies late
SUNY Canton JV refused to fold, turning up defensive pressure and riding Cox and Arlens Paurice to storm back from a 20-point second-half deficit. Paurice repeatedly attacked the rim in the final eight minutes, and Cox drilled a deep three and converted several late jumpers as the Roos trimmed the margin to 68–64 and then 69–66 in the closing seconds.
Closing time on the road
With SUNY Canton JV surging, Word of Life leaned again on its veterans in the final minute. After a late Canton layup made it a one-possession game at 69–66, Eason drew a foul as the horn sounded and calmly buried two free throws to seal the 71–66 win and cap a composed road finish for the Huskies.
The Huskies will be back in action on Friday, December 5th at 5:00 pm at Landmark College, and will travel out to Auburn, ME on Saturday and Sunday for matchups against Central Maine C.C. and Maine-Augusta. Check out huskies.wordoflife.edu for more information and to keep up with all the action.
