Alspaw, Brewer give Tigers edge in district championship victory over Rams

QUEEN CITY, Mo. — Preston Brewer’s 6-foot-7 presence in the lane becomes a focal point for every opponent the Canton boys basketball team faces.

Chris Alspaw’s job is to alleviate some of that pressure and force teams to extend their defense.

Saturday, Alspaw and Brewer did their duties to perfection.

Alspaw softened Schuyler County’s defense by making three consecutive 3-pointers and Brewer scored a game-high 25 points as the Tigers rolled to a 65-46 victory and the Class 2 District 6 championship on the Rams’ home court.

“(Brewer) does a good job of getting others involved,” Canton coach Dalton Armontrout said. “(Alspaw) didn’t shoot it well in that second-round matchup with Scotland County. I don’t know if he was saving them or what, but he kind of got hot. With him doing that, it opens up the inside for Preston and Tyler (Frazier) and Bleu Taylor.”

Canton (21-7) advances to the sectional against Harrisburg (18-11) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Canton High School. The Bulldogs won the District 5 championship with a 57-48 victory over Van-Far.

The blueprint for success won’t change.

“We played solid defense,” Armontrout said of Saturday’s effort. “We rebounded well. We attacked the basket and played inside out really well.”

The Tigers held Rams guard Kyle Windy to 13 points and steadily pulled away in the second half.

“We started off fast,” Armontrout said. “We didn’t lose the lead once we got rolling.”