In the second quarterfinal game, the Canton Little Giants used a strong fourth quarter to come back and upset the #4 seeded Eureka Hornets by a score of 57-50. The big story in this game were the points off turnovers, where Canton won that battle 18-to-6. Canton did a fantastic job with ball control, giving up just five turnovers in this contest. Eureka led 19 minutes of the game compared to just eight minutes for Canton, but winning the final quarter by a score of 18-8 elevated the Little Giants to a victory.
Canton was led in scoring by a trio of players that finished in double digits: Lakon Otto (16 points), Zeke Gandy (14 points), and Sivante Stokes (13 points). The Little Giants bench outscored the Hornets bench by a score of 17-5, mostly thanks to Gandy’s 14. Gandy also led the team with six rebounds and Lakon Otto added five boards as well. Stokes had a team-high five assists and three steals. Canton shot 10-of-12 (83%) from the free throw line, which helped them secure the win and advance.
Eureka also had three players score 10 or more: Teagan McLaughlin (18 points), Brock Monk (12 points), and Jack Blunier (10 points). Blunier had a game-high 10 rebounds in the double-double effort. Monk’s nine rebounds complimented his 6-for-8 shooting performance. Jacob Schulz’s eight assists represents a tournament-high total.
Canton advances to the semifinals where they will match up with #1 seed West Hancock in Game 21, Noon on Tuesday. Eureka will move into the 5th place bracket and will tangle with Mercer County, Tuesday at 9:00am in Game 19.
Box Score
Canton Info
Eureka Info
Chris Derry
December 30, 2025