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Bulldogs roar to cage Cardinals
By Dan Hiner
canfield
Poland basketball player Dan Kramer has been battling a strained Achilles since the season started.
But Kramer only needed “80 to 90 percent” to help lead the Bulldogs to a 52-41 road win over Canfield on Friday.
Kramer had 22 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks and a steal. The Poland junior had 14 points at halftime.
“They weren’t boxing out too well so I went right to the boards and tried to get as many points as I could,” Kramer said.
The only time the Cardinals (5-1) stopped Kramer was in the third quarter. He picked up his second and third fouls midway through the quarter, and was held to two points.
But he came back in the fourth quarter and scored six of the Bulldogs’ 14 fourth-quarter points, including a putback on a free throw attempt to seal the game in the final minute.
Canfield focused on Poland’s Braeden O’Shaughnessy throughout the game. The attention to O’Shaughnessy on the perimeter opened driving lanes for Kramer and teammate Brandon Barringer.
“Obviously, O’Shaughnessy is the guy, the premiere player you want to take away and that was our thought,” Canfield head coach Todd Muckleroy said. “We know Kramer is a really good player.
“We thought our height could give him small issues in the interior and he proved me wrong,” Muckleroy said. “He had a great game.
“He’s certainly a good player, and like I said, we know he’s a good player. He showed why he’s a good player tonight.”
O’Shaughnessy finished with 10 points, two rebounds and a steal. Barringer also had 10 points, four rebounds, three steals and a block.
The Cardinals cut the lead to 44-39 with 2:23 left to play, but a 7-0 run by Poland (6-0) in the last 2:10 put the game out of reach.
Poland coach Ken Grisdale said some bad decisions helped keep the Cardinals in the game. Canfield took advantage of some back-door cuts near the basket throughout the game. Grisdale said those holes were created because his team was too aggressive defensively.
“It’s almost impossible [to keep emotions in check]. Experience is the key,” Grisdale said. “My guys are starters and they’ve been through this, but they still get so excited to go make the play.
“They have to realize the team has to make the play. You don’t have to make individual plays, the team has to do its job.”
Poland began to stop the Cardinals at the rim and forced Canfield into jumpers and 3-point attempts.
Ethan Kalina led the Cardinals with 10 points. Teammates Ian McGraw and Zach Tinkey had seven points each.
Canfield tried to work the ball into the post to Spencer Woolley, but Poland’s defense held the senior to six points.
Canfield’s free-throw shooting didn’t help. The Cardinals only shot 3 of 11 from the free throw line.
Grisdale said Kramer wasn’t available until two days before the start of the season.
The Bulldogs coach said Kramer’s ankle has improved since returning to the court, but he’s still not totally recovered.
Grisdale said will be a crucial piece to the Bulldogs’ playoff chances when he’s completely healthy.
“We’re not a deep team right now,” Grisdale said. “We’re trying to develop depth, but as you saw, we only played six kids in the second half. So his health and getting better is going to be monumental to our success.”