Canoville’s Career Night Powers Wolves to Win

WESSON – The Co-Lin Men's Basketball team returned to action hosting Pearl River in conference action on Monday, January 30. Freshman forward Dylan Canoville once again shined for the Wolves as he helped the team break an 18-game losing streak to the Wildcats beating them 82-79 for the Wolves first win against the Wildcats since January 28, 2013.

"Pearl River is the standard in our conference year in and year out, so this was a big win for our program," said Co-Lin head coach David Sanders. "The guys were locked in and wanted to make a statement. I am extremely proud of them, and the fans were amazing with their support. It is great to have and feel the support of the whole campus with those types of atmospheres they produce for our guys"

The Wolves and Wildcats traded baskets and leads over the opening minutes of the game with the Wolves ultimately holding an 8-7 lead at the 14:10 mark of the first half. The Wolves then used a 16-11 scoring run to hold a 24-18 lead with just under seven minutes of play remaining in the half. The Wildcats closed out the half strong with a 16-13 scoring run to hold a slim 38-37 lead over the Wolves as the teams entered the locker rooms at halftime.

The second half saw the Wildcats extend their lead in the opening minutes with a 14-8 scoring run to hold a 52-45 lead with 14:35 remaining. However, the Wolves responded with an 11-4 scoring run to tie the game at 56-56 with 12:10 remaining. Two successful free throw attempts by sophomore guard Jemario Hersey (Brookhaven) gave the Wolves a 58-56 with 11:53 left in the game and the Wolves never relinquished the lead after that point. The Wolves used a 10-6 scoring run to extend their lead to 68-62 with 6:52 remaining. The Wildcats outscored the Wolves, 17-14, down the stretch and cut the Wolves lead down to one point three times in the final two minutes but could not regain the lead as the Wolves secured the 82-79 victory.

Dylan Canoville had his best scoring night in a Wolves jersey as he led all scorers with a new career high of 32 points paired with eight rebounds and one block. Sophomore guard Cowandric Samuel (Jackson) had 18 points with two rebounds and led the team in assists and steals with five and two. Sophomore forward Kaeden Laws (Southaven) and Jemario Hersey added 11 points each while Laws also had one rebound and one steal and Hersey added three rebounds, three assists, and one block. Sophomore forward AJ Warnsley (Byram) had 10 points and six rebounds to round out the scoring for the Wolves.

Co-Lin improves 11-5 overall, 5-2 in conference play, and will take their four-game winning streak on the road to face off against Coahoma on Thursday, February 2. Tip-off between the Wolves and the Tigers is set for 6 p.m., at The Pinnacle in Clarksdale.

"Hopefully we can keep everything trending the way it is now and finish this season strong," added Sanders. "Our goal is a championship and we have given ourselves a chance to accomplish that!"