BRUNSWICK — Senior guard Josh Walker scored 23 points and converted a 3-point play with 45 seconds left in overtime as Mt. Ararat earned a 50-47 win over Brunswick in a Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference boys’ basketball game Monday.

The host Dragons rallied from a seven-point deficit in the final four minutes of regulation to tie it at 41, and the teams were still knotted at 45-all when Garrett Erb (10 points, 12 rebounds) hit a free throw to give Brunswick the lead with 1:40 left in overtime.

But after a Brunswick backcourt violation, Walker got the ball on the right wing, nailed a pull-up jumper while being fouled and sank the free throw to put the Eagles up for good.

“I came off a screen, and their big man dropped down,” said Walker. “I felt I had separation, but I took one more dribble, and I knew when I let it go it was good.”

“We called that play to get the ball in Josh’s hands,” said Mt. Ararat Coach Aaron Watson. “We wanted to get it to him on his favorite side, but after four years of varsity play, we let him make the read and decide which way he wanted to go.”

After Konnor Scarponi made 1 of 2 from the line for Brunswick (6-5), Josh Wright followed a pair of missed Mt. Ararat free throws with two successful foul shots to make it 50-47 with 13 seconds remaining. The Dragons missed a couple desperation 3-pointers as time ran out.

Walker had a hand in all of his team’s points during a 14-5 run at the start of the second half, as the Eagles (7-4) turned a 20-19 halftime deficit into a 33-25 advantage.

Walker started the spurt with a scoop shot and a runner, both from the left. After Erb found Scarponi at the top of the key at the other end, Walker drove and dished to Luke Liedman underneath for a basket that made it 25-22.

Alex Ouellette answered with a pair of free throws, but Walker knocked down a jumper off the dribble. Trent Anderson (nine points, 10 rebounds) hit a free throw for Brunswick after an offensive rebound, but Walker fed Colin Swan (11 points) for a 3-pointer, then sank his own trey off the dribble, forcing a Brunswick timeout.

“We knew what they were going to do, said Brunswick Coach Todd Hanson, “but they executed, and we didn’t match their intensity.”

“Coach came up to me during warmups after halftime, and he gave me the confidence to take charge,” said Walker, the Eagles’ captain. “It was all coach.”

“We called some plays for him,” said Watson, “but ultimately it comes down to the player. We wanted the ball in his hands, and he rose to the challenge, as he has for four years.”

Mt. Ararat led 40-33 after another Walker 3-pointer with a little over four minutes remaining, but the Dragons slowly crept back on four free throws by Mitch Black (16 points) and three points from Erb before a fifth Black free throw tied it at 41 with nine seconds left.

“We were prepared to slow it down with the lead, and we handled the ball well,” said Watson, “but we didn’t finish, and we’ll have to work on that in practice.”

“I was pleased with the way we scrapped back,” Hanson said, “and we gave ourselves a chance to win, but the key is making shots. This was a big game for Heal points, and Mt. Ararat put themselves in good position for the (Eastern Class A) playoffs.”

And, as Walker added, “This is the first time in my four years we’ve swept them, and that’s huge.”

Liedman led the Eagles with nine rebounds. Black grabbed seven rebounds for Brunswick.

High school sports coverage is proudly supported by Maine State Credit Union.