All eyes on Canty at the Hut

Three-time defending champ Greensboro Day will take on the Ragsdale Tigers in the boys finals of the Pizza Hut Invitational Baskeetball Tournament tonight at the Coliseum.

Ragsdale junior Jay Canty has put up the strongest individual numbers in the tournament through the first two days and he has caught the attention of everyone in attendance at the tourney.

He has the moves, the shots, the floor presence, in fact the total package and tonight’s revealing moment will be when the game gets under way and we get a chance to see how Coach Freddy Johnson and his staff have chosen to defend Canty.

Canty is not a one-man team. The Tigers have a solid five and they play very well together with Jones, White, Roberts, Plummer and the rest of the supporting cast.

But, and this is a big but, when it is all said and done, Canty is the “Show Stopper” and the jaw dropper. The kid has already committed to High Point University and the Panthers are going to be getting a great one.

We go back to the story line. With all the eyes on Canty, what will Coach Johnson and staff be doing defensively?????

The Bengals have a deep bench and they keep fresh legs on the court at all times. Greensboro Day has won back-to-back-to back Pizza Hut titles and they have beaten several very good Dudley teams along the way.

I don’t think Coach Johnson will employ the method of “we will let Canty have his and stop the other guys”. Coach Johnson and his men have handled William Graves, Kenny Belton, Kevin Swinton, Brandon Pennix and PJ Hairston and now it’s Canty Time.

“Canty Time” at the Coliseum and Jay Canty is a different player than all the others I just mentioned. Closest comparison might be with PJ Hairston, but Canty attacks the basket harder and is more of a slasher……Both have the outside shot and both men are game-changers.

Don’t ask for any change back at the Special Events Center door tonight. You may want to drop a few coins in the bucket on the way out.

We all can’t wait to find out what Coach Johnson and his Bengals have cooked up for Canty…….(You know this kid Canty must be good, since he’s only going by his last name already, CANTY.)

*****Here’s what the Yankee Clipper was saying here at the site, about Ragsdale’s win over Northern last night.*****

Ragsdale beat Northern Guilford by a score of 72 – 65 in one of the better high school games of the year. Ragsdale was lead by junior Jay Canty who had 27 points including 5 for 9 from the three point line with four of the treys coming in the first quarter. Canty also had 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks and 2 steals in an outstanding performance. Wally Jones with 16 and Josh White with 13 were also in double digits.

Northern was led by Jonathan Frye who had 18 and Michael Neal with 15.

Josh White ran the Tigers offense and did a great job handling the pressure and distributing the ball as he played the entire game. Ragsdale’s defense did a great job making the Nighthawks work hard for their shots and disrupting the normally efficient Northern offense.

With the win, Ragsdale advances to the Championship game, their 1st ever appearance, where they will face the Bengals of Greensboro Day School.

2 thoughts on “All eyes on Canty at the Hut

  1. I imagine that Coach Johnson and his staff will focus more on what GDS does than what Canty does. And as a result of that, I fully expect GDS to win #4 in a row.

    No way a one-man-band can beat GDS.

    (But it’s entertaining hype nonetheless.)

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