Last year was no fluke. The Canterbury Boys Basketball team is a force to be reckoned with. They tore through competition last season and this one is no different. The resilient team has battled through injuries and the weather to still manage on top of NEPSAC Class B.
The Saints entered at a 3-1 record after just recently suffering a hard loss to Cushing Academy. Not only that, they’ve been without Marlon Short, ‘20, for two games and Charlie Campbell, ‘20, the whole season.
“[Charlie] is a guy that we really counted on last year and we miss having him this year,” said Coach Baudinet, “But him being out has given opportunity for others to step up. The tough part was then Marlon went down with an injury during our game against Kent. So the team had to try and adjust to playing without him as well.”
And they had to adjust as their next test was The Hill Tournament.
Captain, Trayvon Alexander, ‘20, spoke on the team’s mentality heading into the tournament.
“Nothing really changes going into the tournament. We approach it the way we approach every other game,” Tray said, “The stakes were just a little higher going into the tournament especially since we lost last year. We treat every game as a playoff game and try to play with that mindset.”
Tray was named to the All-Tournament Team and finished the tournament averaging through the final two games 16 PPG, 8.5 APG, 5.5 RPG while shooting 46.2% from the field.
The first game already put a challenge on the team as with only a couple minutes left to play, Princeton Day School was up in score. However, the Saints were able to rally and squeeze out a 60-58 victory extending their tournament.
Next, they faced Peddie School in a game that can only be described as a one man show. With the score climbing higher and higher for the Saints, Sean Durugordon, ‘21, went off for 41 points and 9 rebounds while shooting for a monstrous 69% from the field. He helped push the team to get them into the final against The Hill School.
The final was extremely close towards the end of the first half as the Saints only led by two points. However, in the second half they pulled away and ended the game up by 12 to win 70-58 and lift one of the few trophies on Coach Baudinet’s list.
He said, “I talk to the team a lot about the fact that we have three opportunities to win a championship: The Hill Tournament, The Tri-State League and Class B. Last year we finished in 2nd in all three of those. This year we hope that’s different.”
It already has been coming out different as now they have one of the three major wins on the season. Coach Baudinet even continued to talk about how it was “a productive weekend” as a whole for the team.
“What was so encouraging this weekend was to see so many guys step up in critical moments. I saw growth in many individuals and I think the experience helped us grow a little bit closer as a team.”
After a great weekend, Christmas break was upon them. While some would say well deserved, the players are ready to keep the season going. After an incredible run and being named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, Sean Durugordon thinks this is only going to help the team.
“Coming off that championship at Hill is really going to boost our teams confidence even more and I believe it will set the tone for the rest of the season,” he said, “I know we’re the best team in our division and we’re going to prove that by bringing Canterbury a Class B championship trophy come March.”
Sean finished the tournament averaging through the final two games 30 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2 APG, and shooting 63.4% from the field.
The boys after a successful tournament are ready to prove themselves as no longer runner ups in any tournament. They’re here to show they are the best. Their first game back from the break is against Brooks School where they will hopefully continue to shine.
Tournament MVP: Sean Durugordon
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