The Canton Charge (7-8), fell to the Greensboro Swarm (8-8), 115-112 on Cavs Night at the Canton Civic Center in front of 3,347 fans. The two teams will meet for a matinee matchup on Martin Luther King Day on January 21stat 2:00 PM in Greensboro.
The Charge jumped out to an early 23-13 to start the first quarter behind a combined 17 points from guard Scoochie Smith and Cavaliers’ 2-Way forward Jaron Blossomgame. Trailing by as many as 13, the Swarm rattled off a 9-0 run at the 5:53 mark to claw back to a four-point deficit with 3:24 remaining. The two teams would swap buckets in the waning minutes with the Charge clinging to a 30-26 advantage after one quarter of play.
Smith continued to his strong play in the second quarter, adding eight more points to tally a game-high 15 at the break. Charge reserve Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman connected on 3-of-4 attempts from long range to add nine points of his own in the second quarter. Despite being outshot by the visitors 51% to 48%, the Charge maintained a 62-52 lead at the break.
Greensboro responded in the third quarter, shooting a blistering 74% from the field on 17-of-23 shooting. Ohio State alumnus Sam Thompson provided a spark for Greensboro with 12 third quarter points. His three pointer with 6:01 remaining spurred an 11-1 run that gave the Swarm a 79-78 lead with 4:23 remaining in the third. The Swarm controlled the paint, outscoring Canton 24-16 down low, leading way to a 90-87 lead entering the fourth.
The frontcourt duo of JaCorey Williams and Bonzie Colson scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter for the Charge to give the Charge a 95-92 with 9:35 remaining. A deep Colson three-pointer pushed Canton’s lead back to eight with 6:24 remaining, but the Swarm responded with back-to-back deep balls to cut back into the Canton lead. With the game tied at 111 after a Smith layup with 37 seconds remaining, the Swarm sealed the game at the free throw line, connecting on 4-of-6 from the charity stripe down the stretch to escape the Civic Center with a 115-112 victory.
Smith tied a season-high with 20 points while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing five assists in 30 minutes. In his first game back with the Charge after a stint with the Cavaliers, Blossomgame provided 18 points in 30 minutes. Four Charge players scored in double figures off of the bench, including Abdur-Rahkman’s 14 points.
Thompson paced the Swarm with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting in 27 minutes. Chinanu Onuaku recorded his twelfth double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds.