BRUNSWICK

There was a general consensus coming out of the Brunswick locker room after Thursday night’s boys high school basketball game — Medomak Valley just made shots.

Behind a dominant 28-point performance from Nicholas DePatsy, the visiting Panthers made over half their attempts from the field. Brunswick stuck around with strong defense and productive shot making of its own, but the shootout came down to just a few offensive possessions, and Medomak Valley didn’t falter, taking the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference game, 67-61.

“We thought they did a really, really good job with their offensive possessions,” Brunswick coach Todd Hanson said. “They were just so efficient, didn’t turn the ball over. Every screen they set and every curl they made was with a purpose, and they made us pay for it. They got great looks at the basket.”

Brunswick (8-4) was within three after a Caleb Cost bucket at the 1:26 mark, and a missed 1-and-1 Medomak Valley (8-3) free throw attempt brought the home crowd to life. The Panthers last field goal of the game came from DePatsy with over three minutes to go, but a foul in transition sent Cameron Allaire to the line, who started a streak of eight straight free throws to ice the game.

“They did a great job making shots,” Brunswick senior Thomas Hanson said. “We were defending them pretty well, but even when we focused on 22 (DePatsy), someone else would come through.”

Medomak Valley hit 53 percent of its shots from the floor, and converted 10-11 free throws in the second half. Kyle Donlin added 18 points to DePatsy’s 28, and Zach Starr chipped in with 11.

After his team fell behind 12-10 in the first quarter, DePatsy got hot and scored 14 points in the second quarter, including a pair of free throws with less than a second on the clock. The senior hit four treys and hauled in four rebounds.

“We were working on guarding them, and we really didn’t do a great job,” Todd Hanson said. “We gave them a lot of open looks, and a good player like DePatsy is going to make shots. He’s going to make open shots and we have to do a better job of not giving him open looks.”

Despite the showing, the Dragons battled tough for the majority of the game. Cost led the team with 23 points on three treys, while Hanson added 10 more and grabbed six boards.

A 43 percent shooting night was overshadowed by a couple late turnovers that switched the possession quickly and sent Medomak Valley driving to the basket on the other end of the floor. The points that didn’t come in transition for the Panthers came from quick ball movement and screens leading to open shooters.

From there, as Todd Hanson said of DePatsy, “Every time he was open, he cashed it.”

“I tip my cap to them,” Todd Hanson said. “It’s a very well-coached team and they executed.”

“They just executed very well,” Cost said. “They ran their plays right, set good screens. They got open looks and they made them.”

After a back-and-forth first quarter,

Brunswick jumped out to a 9-3 run to begin the second, finding Colby Bucknam down low for two quick buckets. The 6-foot-6 Allaire guarded the Panthers’ rim for most of the night, with the Dragons using mid-range jumpers and six treys to tally a good chunk of their points.

Tight defense and 11 forced turnovers kept Brunswick in the game, which was ultimately decided by a few errant offensive stints.

“To beat a good team like Medomak, we have to play well on offense as well. We had to kind of mimic what they did on offense, which was have great possessions each time down,” Todd Hanson said.

The Dragons made 8-of-12 free throw attempts, with 10 coming in a more aggressive second half. Thomas Hanson said that aggression and energy was amplified during the halftime break, after Medomak Valley had closed the second quarter on a 14-4 run.

“We needed to really amp it up on defense,” Thomas Hanson said. “Play with more tenacity on both ends of the floor.”

Guards Josh Dorr and Jesse Devereaux split another 16 points for the Dragons, who are back at home hosting Edward Little on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Medomak Valley 67, Brunswick 61

Thursday, at Brunswick High School

Med.		Valley		— 10	19	17	21	—	67
Brunswick			—	12	15	15	19	—	61

Medomak Valley — Brandon Douglas 2-0-4, Zach Starr, 5-0-11, Cameron Allaire 0-4-4, Brent Stewart 0-0-0, Nicholas DePatsy, 8-8-28, Kyle Donlin 7-2-18, Robert Cole 0-0-0, Cale Gee 0-2-2. Totals — 22-16-67. Brunswick — Josh Dorr 3-2-8, Christian Glover 1-0-2, Caleb Cost 7-3-20, Thomas Hanson 3-3-10, Owen Rudalevige 2-0-4, Jesse Devereaux 3- 1-8, Corban Teel 1-0-2, Colby Bucknam 2-0-4, JD Souza 1-0-3. Totals — 23-9-61. 3-point field goals — (M) Zach Starr, Nicholas DePatsy 4, Kyle Donlin 2; (B) Caleb Cost 3, Thomas Hanson, Jesse Devereaux, JD Souza. Records — Medomak Valley 8-3, Brunswick 8-4. Up next for the Dragons — Saturday at home against Edward Little, 2 p.m.

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