Observations from the Charge’s balanced scoring effort vs. Mad Ants
By David Kenyon
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Six players netted double figures for the Canton Charge, who notched a 111-100 victory over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on Friday night.
John Holland paced the Charge with 21 points, while Nick Minnerath posted his sixth double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jorge Gutierrez added 20 points, seven boards and five assists.
Canton improved to 16-13 behind that balanced scoring effort, which included a 27-of-32 mark from the free-throw line. The Charge also turned 17 turnovers into 24 points, which Mad Ants coach Steve Gansey cited as the key difference in the outcome.
“That’s why we lost in the game,” Gansey said. “We throw it down inside a little bit too much and we don’t score inside.
Fort Wayne dropped the points in the paint battle, 48-36, though an 8-of-20 mark from beyond the arc was at least encouraging for a streaky offense.
Point guards John Lucas III and Walter Lemon Jr. combined to hit 5-of-10 long-range attempts. Lucas tallied 24 points, seven rebounds and seven assists — all of which were a team-best. Lemon chipped in 19 points, five boards and five assists.
The duo also spearheaded the Mad Ants’ most effective lineup of the night, which included fellow point guard Anthony Harris, 6-6 Marcus Simmons and 6-8 C.J. Fair — a super-small-ball unit.
“It was seven, eight points for a long time,” Gansey said. “You go back and forth, back and forth, you’ve got to try something different. Put the small lineup in, they got after it a little bit more.”
After trailing since the opening minutes of the second quarter, Fort Wayne evened the score at 86 early in the fourth frame then traded 3-pointers with the Charge, who ripped off a 12-3 run.
Michael Stockton started the decisive stretch with a layup and finished with 12 points, his third-best output of the season.
The Mad Ants fell to 13-15, losing their eighth game in the last 10 tries.
Observations
Mad Ants: Lacked consistent energy, which is a recurring theme with this team. Led to careless turnovers, unnecessary fouls and slow defensive rotations. Desperately need a third backcourt scorer when Rakeem Christmas doesn’t play well.
John Lucas III: Hard not to be impressed with Lucas. Without the veteran, Fort Wayne might be a disaster on offense. Lucas has excellent court vision, is a reliable ball handler and displays picturesque shooting form.
Rakeem Christmas: The Indiana Pacers assignee managed 10 points and five rebounds, but Christmas also committed five turnovers. Canton, as Gansey said, “pulled the chair” on the center down low. Gansey added on Christmas: “He has to rim-run, do the little things. Only five rebounds in 31 minutes, he’s got to get a rebound every three, four minutes.”
Terran Petteway: Early on, it looked like Petteway would put together a dominant night — attacked the basket and hoisted smart shots — but he ended with 12 points. Averaging just 9.6 points in 18-game stretch since his 36-point outburst vs. Canton on Dec. 4.
Nick Minnerath: Always a mismatch for the Mad Ants, and Minnerath knows it. In four matchups, he’s recorded 16 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Typically locked up with C.J. Fair. Each time I’ve seen Minnerath, the forward has been more willing to be aggressive on every single trip down the floor. Gansey credited Minnerath for that physicality.
John Holland: Quietly effective. Along with Holland’s team-best 21 points, he committed zero turnovers and tallied three steals. Would like to see him contribute more as a passer while regularly logging 36 minutes. (Highlights).
Quinn Cook: Registered 18 points and five assists last week when Canton defeated Fort Wayne, but was inactive due to an illness.