Sometimes the Player of the Week is not the guy with the biggest statistical line. Such is the case this week. Two Longhorns outscored him and posted more marks in the state stat book. But senior Matthew Cannon’s impact on Monday’s win over Pickens was impossible to overstate.

“We were a better team when he was on the floor,” head coach Eddie Edwards said of the senior forward.

Not often used, Cannon got his opportunity to shine Monday when the Longhorns were relegated to a six-man rotation after injuries and missed practice time limited the roster.

Cannon stepped into the starting lineup and played like he had been there all along. With Cannon on the floor grabbing rebounds and scoring points in the low post, the Longhorns held the lead at the end of the first quarter, the Pickens defense was unable to focus its efforts entirely on limiting MA leading scorer Chase Smyly and Marengo played a more uptempo, energetic style of basketball. When Cannon picked up his third foul early in the second quarter and was forced to become a spectator for the rest of the first half, MA began to struggle.

That fact was not lost on Edwards, who determined that Cannon would not come out for the remainder of the game despite picking up his fourth foul near the end of the third quarter.

“We had to have him on the floor,” Edwards said.

And when given the opportunity, Cannon made good on the faith his coach placed in him. He grabbed six rebounds and blocked a shot in addition to scoring eight points in the game. But it was Cannon’s overall energy and hustle that that kept Marengo in the game, ultimately helping the Longhorns to remain undefeated in region play.