ORLANDO, FL – The Canton Charge (4-6), powered by the Cleveland Cavaliers, fell to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (5-6) by a 120-102 score on Friday night at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World.
Newly signed Cavaliers Two-Way Player Brodric Thomas led Canton’s six players in double figures with 15 points, five assists, eight rebounds, three steals, and two blocks in 29 minutes off the bench. Malachi Richardson notched 14 points, including 4-of-5 shooting from behind the arc, while Antonio Blakeney added 14 points and six rebounds. Sir’Dominic Pointer finished the night with 11 points and a game-high four steals. Sheldon Mac had his ninth-consecutive game with double-digit scoring with an effort of 12 points, five rebounds and four assists in 22 minutes.
Kevin Porter Jr. recorded the only double-double of the game with 29 points and 10 boards with six assists in 32 minutes. Anthony Lamb scored 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 34 minutes. Josh Reaves was perfect from the floor, shooting 9-for-9 to become RGV’s third 20-point scorer of the game with 20 points and six rebounds in 29 minutes. The Vipers led by as many as 30, held a 50-39 edge on the boards as well as a 52-44 points in the paint advantage.
After a tightly contested first quarter that ended with a two-point advantage to the Vipers, Rio Grande delivered a dominant second quarter, led by 12 points from Trevelin Queen in the period. The Vipers outscored the Charge 36-22 the second to take a 16-point lead to the break and never trailed in the second half. The Charge tried to rally, opening the fourth quarter with a 12-3 run, but were unable to pull back.
The Charge are right back at it tomorrow at 7:00 p.m., taking on the NBA G League Ignite – Watch on FOX Sports Ohio at 10:00 p.m. or listen along on 99.7 FM, Canton’s New Country!