Brunswick held the Red Eddies to a four-of-19 shooting performance in the opening quarter, but still looked up at an 11-5 deficit, and Edward Little pulled away from there as its game got stronger en route to a 59-43 victory.
Two problems plagued the Dragons: A 40-23 rebounding disadvantage, including 17 offensive boards against leading to several chances for EL, and Brunswick’s own shooting problems (five of 24 in the first half, 17 of 49 in the game). That kept the Dragons from making a sustained run.
“Depth is a problem for us, but it comes down to improving our basketball IQ,” said Hanson, whose 1-2 squad hosts Oxford Hills on Tuesday at 7 p.m. “Four times we fouled outside the 3-point line and put them on the freethrow line. We made it a sixpoint game (30-24 with 3:47 remaining in the third quarter), but we made some bad basketball plays, something you can’t do against a good team.”
That stretch ended the Dragons’ hopes, as EL standout Quin Leary began finding his perimeter shooters, most notably Nate Alexander, who shook off first half-foul trouble to score 15 second-half points, finishing with a gamehigh 18 points. He nailed three 3-pointers in a sixminute stretch to turn a close game into a 44-26 EL advantage early in the fourth quarter.
“I thought Brunswick pushed on us and transitioned well, and they showed us how to transition,” said EL (3-0) coach Mike Adams, who praised his senior captain Leary, who had a solid allaround game with 15 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals. “There were four consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter when Quin either grabbed a rebound or stepped up and made a steal when the game was still in question. He does the little things and we are lucky to have him.”
Early struggles
Brunswick grabbed its only lead on a Konnor Scarponi free throw for a 1-0 edge. Edward Little answered with a 7-0 run, including three free throws from Alexander.
The Red Eddies continued to struggle from the field, but five offensive caroms in the opening eight minutes allowed Edward Little to claim a six-point lead.
The teams traded baskets in the second quarter, with the Dragons down just four, 15-11, after Alex Bandouveres converted a pass from Brad Smith.
But, EL received five straight points from Leary, and Lew Jensen drained a 3- pointer to close the half with the Red Eddies on top 23-13.
EL was just nine of 34 from the floor in the opening half, but a 25-13 advantage in rebounds allowed the Red Eddies to take a double-digit lead.
“We couldn’t score, and we were allowing three or four opportunities,” said Hanson of his team’s struggles. “They didn’t shoot much better from the perimeter than us, but you permit three or four shots on one possession and it ultimately leads to your downfall.”
Brunswick’s Ryan Black scored to begin the second half, but Alexander, who went to the bench early in the second quarter with his third foul, scored five straight points for a 28-15 EL lead.
The Dragons found some rhythm, getting five points from guard Derek Devereaux, including a three-point play, to close to 30-22, and Smith’s putback cut the EL lead to 30- 24.
But, Alexander’s second trey of the quarter, a 3-pointer by Sean Ford and a putback by Leary gave the Red Eddies a 38-26 lead. Six more EL points followed as the advantage grew to 18 points, 44-26 before Brunswick ended an 11-0 run on a Smith basket.
Despite the 16-point victory, Adams had nothing but praise for Brunswick.
“That is a really good defensive team, and those kids are as fundamental as any team we will play this season,” said Adams.
Smith and Scarponi led Brunswick with seven points, with Blake Gordon and Bandouveres adding six points apiece. The Dragons were eight of 12 from the foul line. Brunswick forced 16 turnovers.
Ford joined Alexander and Leary in double figures with 15 points, 10 coming in the fourth quarter. EL shot 36 percent from the floor (21 of 58) and made 12-of-16 free throws. Ian Mileikis pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds and dished out four assists, while Alexander had six rebounds and Ford five.
Edward Little 59,
Brunswick 43
At Edward Little High School
Brunswick — 5 8 13 17 – 43
Edward Little — 11 12 15 21 – 59
Brunswick — Blake Gordon 2-2-6,
Brad Smith 3-1-7, Ryan Black 2-1-5,
Konnor Scarponi 3-1-7, Alex Bandouveres 3-0-6, Derek Devereaux 2-1-5,
Brett Lancaster 1-2-4, Pearson Cost 1-
0-3, Nolan Robbins 0-0-0. Totals —
17-8-43.
Edward Little — Ian Mileikis 1-1-3,
Mahab Mohamed 2-0-4, Nate Alexander 4-7-18, Sean Ford 7-0-15, Quin
Leary 6-3-15, Lew Jensen 1-0-3, Kaleb
Main 0-1-1, Calvin Willette 0-0-0, Dalton Roberts 0-0-0, Anthony Garard 0-
0-0, Elijah Roe 0-0-0. Totals — 21-12-
59.
3-point goals — (B) Pearson Cost;
(EL) Nate Alexander 3, Sean Ford, Lew
Jensen.
Records — Edward Little 3-0,
Brunswick 1-2.
Next for the Dragons — Tuesday at
home against Oxford Hills, 7 p.m.
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