Brewer boys basketball falls to Skowhegan in 1st lack of the season
Within the preseason coach’s ballot, Skowhegan boys basketball was picked to complete first in Class A North with seven first-place votes. Brewer, who was the A North runner-up a yr in the past, was picked to complete second to the Riverhawks.
Flash-forward to Friday night time and the Witches introduced an undefeated document to their house gymnasium as they hosted an up-and-down Skowhegan staff.
The Riverhawks amassed an early lead and held onto it for the whole lot of the second half. Within the remaining seconds, Brady Saunders went to the road for Brewer trailing 49-46 to shoot three free throws. The star senior made the primary two pictures however missed the third and Skowhegan escaped Brewer with a 49-48 victory.
“Each win is a giant win,” Skowhegan coach Tom Nadeau stated. “To return out and compete with the very best staff within the league, it was vital. We wished to determine ourselves and allow them to know that we haven’t gone anyplace.”
As Brewer trailed 39-31 heading into the fourth quarter, Ryan Donogue of Skowhegan and Brewer’s Ryder Goodwin traded baskets to open what would end up be a slugfest of a remaining quarter between two of the highest groups in A North.
With 2:38 to play, Brewer level guard Evan Nadeau hit two free throws. On Skowhegan’s ensuing possession, Goodwin stole the ball at midcourt and, whereas falling to the bottom, discovered a streaking Saunders who scored on the hoop to make it 45-41. A fist pump and yell of pleasure from Saunders was drowned out by the overwhelming Brewer followers who had been keen their staff to the end line.
On Brewer’s subsequent possession, Saunders sank a 3 from the highest of the arc to make it a one-point sport with two minutes to play.
Skowhegan’s Patrick McKenney and Collin LePage mixed for 3 free throws with 42.9 seconds remaining, giving the Riverhawks a little bit of respiration room at 49-44.
Saunders acquired fouled with 21 seconds and made each free throws, adopted by a foul on Savage who missed each of his. Brewer (16-1) sprinted the ball up the courtroom and known as a timeout with 5.9 seconds to play.
Saunders acquired a 3-point look within the left nook and missed however he was fouled and went to the road with an opportunity to tie the sport at 49 a chunk.
Saunders missed the ultimate free throw and whereas there was contact on the rebound try, there was no foul name and Skowhegan was capable of hand the Witches their first lack of the season.
“I’d have guess my home that Saunders was going to make all three foul pictures,” Nadeau stated. “He’s the most effective free throw shooters I’ve seen and so to miss one, I used to be shocked. I stored telling the boys to only maintain on and do little issues and focus.”
Saunders completed the sport with 19 factors.
“I believe it’s good for us to grasp that we are able to get beat,” Brewer coach Ben Goodwin stated. “I believe it’s good for us and now we’ve to play our roles, play as a staff and the match is one-and-done so we’ve to arrange for that.”
Skowhegan (10-6) took a 28-17 lead into halftime on the again of Adam Fitzgerald who nailed 4 3-pointers for the Riverhawks over the primary two quarters.
“I believe they did a great job and made some pictures,” Goodwin stated. “They’d that younger man [Fitzgerald] come off the bench and make some pictures and we simply didn’t get our offense flowing. Not till the second half after which we needed to attempt to come again.”
Brewer fell behind 8-6 halfway by way of the primary quarter and by no means took again the lead.
Brock Flagg shot 5-of-6 from the free throw line within the second quarter to maintain the Witches within the sport, however Skowhegan was capable of sluggish Flagg and Saunders early on to the tune of 9 mixed factors.
Within the third, Skowhegan’s Quintcey McCray drilled a triple to get the second half began and provides the Riverhawks a 31-17 lead.
Saunders later hit back-to-back 3 pointers, one from the highest of the important thing and one from the fitting wing, that pulled the Witches inside 33-25 proper earlier than Flagg stole the ball from Skowhegan and was fouled.
Flagg hit each free throws, he shot an ideal 4-for-4 within the third, and Brewer acquired inside 33-27 with 2:25 left within the third.
Adam Savage was an issue for the Witches on the glass on Friday night time, grabbing 4 of his 12 rebounds within the third and punctuating the quarter with a fadeaway mid-range jumper. Brewer trailed 39-31 heading into the fourth.
Savage completed with 10 factors.
“We haven’t utilized our measurement sufficient this yr,” Nadeau stated. “There have been video games the place we had been outrebounded by groups which can be smaller than us in order that’s one thing that we’ve needed to emphasize the final two weeks. We want to have the ability to get boards with the bigs we’ve.”
Brewer will journey to Bangor on Thursday to complete the common season.
“The best way they battled within the second half I’ll take that every one night time lengthy,” Goodwin stated of Brewer. “They gave us an opportunity to win the sport and it simply didn’t work out tonight. A whole lot of props to Skowhegan, they got here able to play and hopefully we get an opportunity to see them once more.”
