The Fort Wayne Mad Ants won Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Canton Charge by a score  of 105-91. Jordan Crawford dominated the game with 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. C.J. Fair had a great game also, scoring 22 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. Matt Bouldin contributed as well with 17 points, 4 assists and 4 steals.

As for the Canton Charge, they started well in the first half, and had a great stat line in the end as six of their players scored in double digits by the end of the game. Stephen Holt started at guard instead of Joe Harris, and he played a well-rounded game. Holt scored a team high 21 points, with 15 of his points coming from three pointers. He also had 5 assists and 3 steals. Their best player, James Singleton, scored 14 points, grabbed a team high 9 rebounds, and dished out 5 assists. However, he also had the team high in turnovers with five.

Turnovers and lack of free throw opportunities was the Charge’s undoing. The Charge had 20 turnovers overall, opposed to the Mad Ants 12 turnovers. The Charge spent more time shooting jumpers than getting to the paint, which explains the free throw disparity between the two teams. If Fort Wayne continues to play great defense, draw fouls to get to the free throw line, and stay above 45 percent shooting from the field, they should be able to claim the Eastern Conference title.

The Fort Wayne Mad Ants and Canton Charge play Game 2 on April 19 at 6 pm in Canton Memorial Civic Center.

By Joshua Hamer