Boys basketball: Elyria falls to Massillon at Shot Clock Classic in Canton

CANTON — Apparently Massillon can play basketball and football. That fact will stick with Elyria after a 108-83 loss in the annual Shot Clock Classic at the Canton Memorial Field House on Saturday. Massillon (4-1) ran off 30 points in the first quarter by hitting 11 of 16 shots from the floor, including five 3-pointers. The 35-second shot clock never came into play and it only got under 10 seconds twice. The Tigers had 19 first-half assists. Massillon had a 34-17 lead with 7:17 left in the first half. The 108 points tied the record for points given up by the Pioneers. The last time Elyria and Massillon hooked up in basketball was a home-and-home series in 1959-60, when the Pioneers won both games. Hall of Fame players like Sam Davis and Lee Johnson were the stars back then, and the coach was the legendary Dale Reichenbach. The Pioneers (7-2) showed some spunk after the first quarter. Led by the hustle of freshman Micah Jackson and Dink Shelton, Elyria rallied to within six points by halftime. Jackson was all over the floor in the quarter, scoring 13 of his 17 points on five of six from the field, plus an and-one free throw off one of his two 3-pointers. Elyria trailed by just 53-47at the half. Jackson led Elyria's rebounding effort with six boards. That rally was quickly extinguished. Massillon scored the first seven points of the second half and outscored Elyria 13-2 over the first two minutes and 10 seconds to build the lead back to 66-49. "They took it to us," said Elyria coach Brett Larrick. "It was a disappointing effort on our part, disappointing by us not being ready and us (as coaches) not having them ready. Give them credit. They were coming off a loss (to North Canton Hoover). They got layups after layups. They played harder, faster and defended. They attacked the basket. They were in attack mode all night. We were on our heels." All five of Massillon's starters finished in double figures, led by Xavier Williams' 25-point effort. Williams cashed in on five of six 3-pointers. "(Elyria) has a great team," said Massillon's coach Josh Hose. "It was scaring me all week. We had something like 26 assists and only nine turnovers. I was telling our guys when we play and move the ball and share the ball like that, we're tough. We do well against pressure. We have multiple guys that can handle the basketball. When they play off each other, they're really dangerous. We don't always do that." On the other side, Elyria also had five players reach at least 11 points. Jackson led the scoring but Shelton added 14, Jermiah Daniels and Seth Wilkerson 12 each, while Kendyll Compton had 11. The loss prevented Elyria from becoming 8-1 for the first time since 1986-87. That team made it to 9-1 before losing at Admiral King, 60-54. Contact Tim Gebhardt at 329-7135 or timothygeb@msn.com. Massillion 108, Elyria 83 ELYRIA (83): Cam Bell 2-0-5, Rondell Grimmett 2-1-6, Jermiah Daniels 5-0-12, Tink Shelton 6-1-14, Kendyll Compton 4-0-11, Seth Wilkerson 6-0-12, Christian Rogers 1-1-3, Micah Jackson 7-1-17, Ethan Rogers 1-1-3, Isaiah Hill 0-0-0, Mike Lawrence 0-0-0.Totals 34-5-83. MASSILLON (108): Giorgio Jackson 8-2-19. Isaiah Lamp 5-1-14, Jaydyce Thigpen 6-3-14, Braylon Gamble 6-2-13, Xavier Williams 9-2-25, Terrion Wells 3-2-8, Marcus Garner 3-3-9, Isaac Maxheimer 1-0-3, Damarion Day 0-0-0, Mascen Marceric 0-0-0, Joseph Pierce 0-0-0, Drew Williams 0-0-0. Totals 41-15-108. Elyria 17 30 15 21 — 83 Massillon 30 23 28 27 — 108 Three-point goals: Elyria 10-30 (Compton 3, Daniels 2 Jackson 2, Bell, Grimmett, Shelton), Massillon 11-20 (X. Williams 5, Lamp 3, Jackson, Gamble, Maxheimer). Field goals: Elyria 34-71 (48 percent), Massillon 41-66 (62 percent). Free throws: Elyria 5-7 (71 percent), Massillon 15-23 (65 percent). Rebounds: Elyria 27 (Jackson 6), Massillon 32 (Garner 7). Turnovers: Elyria 14, Massillon 9. Fouls: Elyria 20, Massillon 13.