Sports

The Canton Eaglettes and Van Lady Vandals clashed for the first time this season Jan. 13, each looking to tighten their grip as one of the four playoff qualifiers that will come out of District 13-4A at the end of the regular season.
Riding a suffocating defense and eight made three-pointers, the Eaglettes put on a strong showing to secure a 56-34 win over their longtime rivals.
Van jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter, getting four points from Catherine Gisore and three from Macy Rucker in the opening minutes. The tide would turn quickly however, as Hannah Manry would go on to finish with four made three-pointers in the frame to guide the Eaglettes to a 19-7 lead after one quarter of play.

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The gymnasium at Canton High School was a sea of red and green Friday night, as the Van Vandals traveled to Canton for the first of two scheduled meetings between the two teams during the 2016-’17 season.
Canton came away from the contest victorious, utilizing Coach Matt Kirschner’s full court pressing defense to secure a 58-45 win over their chief rival.
The Eagles took a balanced inside-out approach, building a 15-10 lead on the Vandals after eight minutes of play.

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The Canton Eaglettes took a positive step on the road to securing a playoff berth and possible district title, topping the Emory Rains Lady Cats Jan. 6 in their District 13-4A opener.
On a night when seven Eaglette players scored at least three points each, Canton built a 22-12 lead in the early going against Rains.
The Lady Cats managed to blunt some of Canton’s momentum in the second quarter, outscoring Canton 13-10 to pull to within 32-25 entering the half.
The Eaglettes ensured that any comeback attempt forged by Rains would fall well short, coming out of the break with a solid quarter on both ends of the court to take a commanding 51-37 lead.
Canton coasted down the stretch, playing suffocating defense to close out the 14-point, 57-43 win over the Lady Cats.

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The Canton Eagles knocked down nine three-pointers against Gilmer, including six in the third quarter en route to a 69-57 win over the Buckeyes at home Jan. 6.
Sophomore McGwire Martin scored six points in the first quarter, and Kyle Rose-Peterson and Dalton Williams scored four each to help Canton build a 16-12 lead.
Another strong offensive showing, including five more points by Martin and four by Rose-Peterson pushed Canton to a 35-29 lead entering the half.
After connecting on just two first half three-pointers, the Eagles knocked down five in a 21-16 third quarter for a 56-45 lead. McGwire Martin did the lion's share of the damage, hitting on four triples over the eight-minute stretch.
With a double-digit lead already in hand, Canton closed out the game with a 13-12 frame to close out the 69-57 win.

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The Canton Eaglettes have been all over the map during the first half of the 2016-'17 season, traveling far and wide to tackle a non-district slate that has included trips as far south as Jarrell (Texas) and, most recently, north to Oklahoma for the Idabel Christmas Classic Dec. 28-30.
The Eaglettes finished with a 2-1 record overall during their trip to Oklahoma, defeating a team from Arkansas and host Idabel before falling to a fellow Texas team, Sulphur Springs.
Canton started off fast in the tournament, picking up a convincing 50-31 over the Arkansas Razorbacks or Texarkana, Arkansas Dec. 28.
The win advanced the Eaglettes to the second round and a showdown with the Idabel Warriors. Canton prevailed in a highly-competitive game against one of the top programs in Oklahoma, pulling out a 35-31 win to advance to the Christmas Classic championship game against Sulphur Springs Dec. 30.

The Canton Eagles will be in action several more times before the close of 2016, competing in the Delbert Ballard Christmas Tournament in Quitman Dec. 28-30.

Along with host Quitman and Canton, this year's field of competitors at the tournament will include Big Sandy-Dallardsville, Campbell, Edgewood, Fruitvale, Hooks, Quinlan Boles, Quinlan Ford, Troup, Whitehouse and Wolfe City.

Pool play for the tournament will begin Dec. 28 with Canton, participating in Pool C, taking on Quinlan Boles at noon at Fruitvale at 6 p.m.

Of local interest, the Bobcats will take on Boles at 3 p.m. Dec. 28 before taking on Canton three hours later. 

The Canton Eaglettes tangled with Lions twice on the court prior to the Christmas holiday, taking on both the Ennis Lady Lions and the Saltillo Lady Lions. Canton split those two contests, falling just short against Ennis before bouncing back against Saltillo for a convincing win.

Canton traveled to Ennis Dec. 13, watching their comeback bid run out of steam late in a 54-52 loss to the Lady Lions.

The Eaglettes doubled up Ennis in the early going, building up a 16-8 lead after one quarter of play. Ennis would not be denied offensively in the second quarter, getting their footing to cut the deficit down to 29-28 entering the break.

Third quarter play would play out in a similar fashion as the second, with Ennis outscoring Canton 20-12 to take a 48-41 lead on the Eaglettes with just eight minutes to play.

The Canton girls JV Green team went on the road Dec. 13 and fought through a tough and talented Ennis team, 53-35. The contest went to Ennis early but the Eaglettes closed the gap to two points by halftime. The second half the girls rallied together and found a way to win.

Coach Glenn Neal stated, “The girls shared the ball and played team defense and competed like the Eaglettes of the past. The team continues to learn to play team ball, and play with confidence.”

The Eaglettes were scheduled to play Saltillo Dec. 16, but eventually cancelled due to a conflict with holiday activities for Saltillo.

The Green team, currently 15-1 on the season, will return to the court following the Christmas break. 

Gabe Beverly , 9,  of Canton, shot his first deer, an 8- point buck. He was hunting with his grandfather, Glenn Beverly. 

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Aiden Wacaser, 7, recently shot a whitetail doe with a .243 rifle in Sonora during the week of Thanksgiving. 

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