The Canton Charge (26-17), powered by the Cleveland Cavaliers, took their seventh-straight game in a 120-116 victory over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (26-16) in front of 3,459 at the Memorial Civic Center on Sunday afternoon.
Trailing 116-114 and 1:44 left in the game, Canton held RGV scoreless the rest of the way in forcing five misses over a 6-0 run. The victory was the Charge’s first-ever home win over the Vipers in four attempts over the franchise’s six seasons. The Charge will finish 4-1 against the Southwest Division in 2016-17. Canton’s seven game win streak sets a new season-high for consecutive wins.
John Holland led all scorers with 36 points on 11-of-12 from the foul line and 10-of-21 from the field in 42 minutes. Quinn Cook netted 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting with nine assists and six boards in 40 minutes. Eric Moreland notched his 22nd double-double of the season by scoring 10 points and grabbing 15 rebounds with two steals and five blocks in 40 minutes. Today was Moreland’s 14th game this season with 3+ blocks and 7th with 5+ rejections.
The Vipers were paced by their trio of players on assignment from the Houston Rockets. Isaiah Taylor had a team-high 24 points with four assists in 44 minutes. Troy Williams also scored 24 points on 11-of-17 shooting in 23 minutes off the bench. Chinanu Onuaku had a double-double of 19 points and 17 rebounds in 35 minutes.
Jonathan Holmes boosted Canton with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and 3-of-4 from three-point range before fouling out after 23 minutes. Cameron Jones came off the Charge bench to provide 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting in 31 minutes. Canton has the second-best record in the East, but sit in the top Wild Card seed with a full-game lead over Fort Wayne who sit as the second Wild Card seed. Rio Grande Valley are currently a half game above Sioux Falls for the top Wild Card seed in the Western Conference.
Canton hosts the Erie BayHawks (Orlando Magic) Tuesday, March 14th at 7:00 p.m. for College ID night, where any valid school ID gets you a $5 ticket! Groups of 20 or more can take part in unforgettable fan experiences such as halftime performances, anthem buddies, high five tunnel, benchwarmers, and more! For Charge Nation Memberships, game day promotions and up-to-date information, head to www.CantonCharge.com or call 866-444-1944.
The Canton Charge are part of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena organization and also owned by a group led by Cavaliers Majority Owner and Quicken Loans Founder and Chairman Dan Gilbert. The group also owns and operates the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League and the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League, both of which play their games at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland.
(Canton Charge press release)
