CANCILLEIRI AND THIEL PROPEL EAGLES TO UPSET OVER CBA

The dynamic duo of Kyle Cancilleiri and Garret Thiel helped Middletown South go on the road and beat CBA and their pair of high scorers, Mike Kuhn and Brian Neller by a score of 51-47.

The Eagles led the entire way, starting with a 9-5 advantage at the end of the first quarter. South extended their lead even further in the second quarter, but CBA battled back at the end of the half so that the teams went to the locker with the score 23-11 in South’s favor.

A key component to the Eagles halftime lead was Thiel playing tough defense on Kuhn and holding him to only 2 points.

Kuhn and the Colts would not go away quietly; however, as Kuhn netted 18 second half points. Kuhn’s huge second half kept the game close and helped get Thiel into foul trouble.

After the Eagles led 39-30 at the end of the third, CBA made a strong push, pulling it to as close as three points. The Colts had a chance to tie the game but the three-point attempt from Neller was off and South breathed a sigh of relief.

Key free throws down the stretch from Cancilleiri and Will Low helped the Eagles pull away at the end and quell a late Colts rally.

Cancilleiri finished with 20 points and four rebounds. Thiel finished with 15 points, despite sitting out for part of the third quarter because of foul trouble. Matt Callori added 8 points and 6 rebounds.

Kuhn led the way for the Colts in the losing effort with 20, but the key was Cancilleiri holding Neller to seven total points. Pat Light netted seven, while Travis Farrell chipped in six.

According to Kevin Cullen, this was the first Middletown South victory over CBA since 1981; the year South’s 26 year old coach was born.