Cannon shines late in ‘ugly’ Riverside win over Laurens
Drew Cannon’s late three-pointer and four consecutive free throws earned Riverside a grind-out region win over Laurens on Friday night. Cannon had 12 points.
Drew Cannon may not be the flashiest player. He might not be the guy to light up the stat sheets every night or pop off for 40 points, either.
In terms of stepping up when it counts, however, there might not be anyone on Cannon’s level.
Cannon scored 12 points in Riverside’s grind-out 50-42 win over Laurens Friday night, including seven of Riverside’s final nine points.
He hit a late three-pointer to give the Warriors the lead for good, and his four consecutive made free throws immediately after set Riverside’s win in stone.
“This wasn’t our prettiest win, but it shows that we won’t just fold when the game gets hard,” said Cannon. “We still have the players with heart, guys that know how to push through adversity and get ugly wins, too.”
Riverside (14-3) put together a performance it might not want to remember. The Warriors committed 13 turnovers and shot just 45 percent from the field, but they still managed to get the job done.
The Warriors entered the second half with a 21-13 lead after a slow-moving first two quarters, but after halftime, Laurens (6-10) switched to a different press that threw Riverside for a loop.
“I hadn’t seen Laurens press like that since I’ve watched them,” said Riverside head coach Allen Arnold. “I’ve seen them do a 1-3-1 press, but not the full-out 1-2-1-1 they did tonight. So I hadn’t prepared the guys for that.
“But as a team, we’ve got to do a better job of reacting to that. We are good ball-handlers, and we can’t panic like we did tonight.”
Laurens’ second-half press adjustment helped bring the Raiders back and tie the game at 41 with just over two minutes left in the game.
Riverside star forward Julen Iturbe drew the defense to him on the next possession and kicked the ball out to Cannon. Cannon was left wide open in the left corner and drilled a three-pointer, giving Riverside a 44-41 lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
“Julen drew the defense and had trust in Drew to knock down that shot,” said Arnold. “You don’t see that in high-school basketball sometimes. A lot of times, that star player will try to make that basket on his own. Julen trusted Drew to make that shot, and he did.”
After the three-pointer, Cannon’s four free throws finished the job. He came through when it mattered. Cannon helped the Warriors close the game on a 9-1 run to seal the region victory.
“Drew’s the kind of kid you root for,” said Arnold. “He’s one of the most reliable, high-IQ guys we’ve got, and he shoots the ball at such a high level. He does all the little things right.”
“I try not to let the pressure get to me in situations like tonight,” said Cannon. “I just rely on what I work on every day, the muscle memory of the shots I practice. I’m just happy Julen was able to find me.”
Riverside will continue region play this week with a matchup at Eastside on Tuesday. The road is tough, said Cannon, and it only gets more challenging from here.
“Tonight showed us that we’ve got to come ready every single night, no matter who we’re playing,” said Cannon. “We’ve got to be even more focused and prepared if we’re going to do what we want in our region.”
THE SCORE BY QUARTERS
Laurens 4 9 19 10 - 42
Riverside 12 9 11 18 - 50
RIVERSIDE STAT LEADERS
Julen Iturbe - 16 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist
Mikkel Skinner - 16 points, 8 rebounds
Drew Cannon - 12 points
Sebi Boyogueno - 4 points
Robbie Robertson - 2 points