BRUNSWICK

Never mind the Heal Point Standings. Never mind the records and the fact that one team had eight wins and the other only one.

The Brunswick and Morse High School boys basketball teams took to the court Wednesday evening, with a difference of seven wins between the two Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference teams. Both teams played a strong and clean defensive game.

However, the home team and eight-win Dragons responded from a one-point halftime deficit to pull away to improve to 9-3 with a 49-40 victory over Morse in Class A South action. The Shipbuilders fell to 1-12.

“A great game between two good programs,” said Morse coach Brian Bennett. “It was a well-played game offensively, defensively and officiating. The crowd was great tonight, it was fun.”

Both teams played an even first quarter. Tied at four, Morse’s Josh Doughty and Brunswick’s Colby Bucknam traded baskets, and another Doughty jumper after a turnover forced a Brunswick timeout with 4:14 remaining in the opening frame.

Following another Dragon turnover, Tom Warren sank a 3-point basket with three minutes remaining to give the Shipbuilders an 11-6 lead.

Bucknam answered, and a late trey by an open Noah Cox later and the Dragons evened the score at 11-11 through the first eight minutes.

“He’s been a big part of our offense,” said Cox of the senior post player Bucknam. “He does everything down there as far as scoring points and getting big rebounds.”

The second quarter showcased much of the same. While Morse stayed aggressive on the boards (11 first-half grabs), the visitors warmed up from behind the arc, nailing 3-of-5 in the frame.

“We rebounded exceptionally well. It is something we’ve struggled with this year, but tonight they went after it,” said Bennett.

The game plan worked to this point, with the Shipbuilders controlling the pace and holding a slight 26-25 edge going into the break.

Second half

A quick basket by Warren to open the third quarter put the Shipbuilders up by three points, but Morse got only a pair of Warren free throws after that, and the Dragons outscored their opponents, 14-4 in the third quarter.

Brunswick controlled the boards in the stanza, out rebounding Morse, 12-7, including an offensive rebound by Cam Dunton and a putback to go up 32-28 that brought his teammates on the bench to their feet.

“We really addressed that at halftime and talked about defending that high ball screen,” said Brunswick assistant coach Jeremy Bate. “We started hedging that screen and it made them difficult for them to pass off those screens.”

Senior Dawson Hebert registered four points, including his second trey of the game, coming with 1:04 left in the third quarter and putting the Dragons ahead, 37-30. Dunton closed out the quarter with a layup after Brunswick held for the last shot, taking a 39-30 lead.

“The third quarter has been a struggle for us this year,” said Bennett. “It’s not because of lack of effort, I just can’t explain it.”

Brunswick slowed the pace down in the final quarter, limiting Morse’s scoring opportunities. However, the Shipbuilders kept up their defensive pressure and forced Brunswick to earn the win in the final eight minutes.

“We work hard in practice on defense. We take pride in the pressure we put on,” said Warren. “I love that my teammates don’t give up, we play together until the end.”

Tyriek Foster nailed a 3- pointer for Morse to cut the Brunswick lead to 41-35. But a Cox basket after he followed his missed trey put the Dragons ahead by eight with 3:41 left.

“We try to use our quick passes to open up shots,” said Cox. “Teams expect us to shoot the three when we can, but our quick passes inside keep them honest.”

Much like most of the game, the Dragons spread the ball around, getting points from five different players in the fourth quarter and Brunswick pulled away for the win.

“We talked about getting back to things we needed to do to attack more,” said Bate. “We needed to try to get to the rim a little more rather than settle for jump shots.”

Warren finished with a game-high 16 points and 12 rebounds.

“He works hard in all aspects of his game,” said Bennett. “He’s come into his own a little bit this junior year.”

Foster had eight points while Doughty finished with six, all coming in the first half.

“You would like to come out with a win, but there were so many things I can take away from tonight,” said Bennett. “One constant I always hear is how hard our team plays ‘til the end,’ and I take pride in that.”

Brunswick got points from eight different players, led by Hebert’s 10 followed by eight apiece from Cox and Bucknam. Jack Bates chipped in with seven. Kyle Hanson hauled in eight boards (five in the fourth quarter) while Bucknam grabbed six.

The Dragons visit Leavitt tonight at 6:30 p.m., while the Shipbuilders host the Mt. Ararat Eagles, also at 6:30 p.m. at Bath Middle School.

Brunswick 49, Morse 40

At Brunswick

Morse	—	11	15	4	10	—	40
Brunswick		— 11	14	14	10	—	49

Morse — Lucas Osterhout 1-0-2,
Tom Warren 5-4-16, Josh Doughty 3-
0-6, Dom Green 1-0-3, Parker Onorato 1-0-2, Jack Harrington 0-0-0,
Tyriek Foster 3-0-8, Kaleb Jackson 1-
0-3. Totals — 15-4-40.
Brunswick — Noah Cox 3-0-8, Dawson Hebert 4-0-10, Jack Bates 3-1-7,
Colby Bucknam 4-0-8, Kyle Hanson
2-0-4, Alex Small 1-0-2, Jacob Lamoureux 2-2-6, Finn Mitchell 0-0-0,
Cam Dunton 2-0-4. Totals — 21-3-
49.
3-point goals — (M) Warren 2, Foster 2, Jackson, Green; (B) Cox 2,
Hebert 2.
Records — Brunswick 9-3, Morse 1-
12.
Up next for Shipbuilders — Today at
home against Mt. Ararat, 6:30 p.m.
Up next for Dragons — Today at
Leavitt, 6:30 p.m.