NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- Shane Fuller’s season high of 29 points and Dante Cellana’s double-double led the McCann Tech boys
basketball team to a 62-53 win Thursday evening against Smith Voc in the Hornets Nest.
McCann took a quick lead in the first quarter, 18-6, but Smith Voc gave the Hornets a run for their money in the remaining 24 minutes. In the second quarter, McCann was rushing its offense and let up a few bad shots and a few turnovers leading to points on the opposite end for the Vikings. Smith brought the lead within four points with fewer than three minutes to go in the half, but the Hornets were able to pull away and go into half-time with a 31-26 lead.
“They were beating us in the middle,” McCann coach Mike Nykorchuck said. “So we turned our two-three zone into a two-one-two zone and Dante [Cellana] did a good job of stepping up and filling that gap.”
Smith came out in the third quarter driving to the hoop and drawing the fouls on McCann. The Vikings were able to get to within seven with fewer than four minutes left, but the Hornets were able to hold a 45-33 lead going into the fourth.
“What we weren’t doing is, I wanted my bottom guys to hold their position and not go out to the wing,” Nykorchuck said. “When they finally did it, that’s when we kind of shut them down defensively.”
McCann was able to pull away in the fourth quarter for the 62-53 win without two of their starting players, Collin Racette and Ramher Vincent, due to injuries. The Hornets also lost forward Cody O’Neil in the third quarter due to an ankle injury.
“We don’t play for eight days,” Nykorchuck said. “So hopefully we can get them back, we’re going to take it slow the next few days and let everyone get healthy.”
The Hornets play at Gateway Jan. 23 at 7 p.m.
