Brunswick’s Sam Sharpe (21) cuts to the basket with Lawrence’s Kobe Nadeau (11) looking on during Tuesday’s KVAC boys basketball game at Brunswick. Sharpe’s Dragons rolled to a 60-42 win. (Bob Conn / The Times Record)
BRUNSWICK — The Brunswick High School boys basketball team began Tuesday night’s Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference contest by making seven of its first 10 shots and jumping out an 18-10 lead over Lawrence.
Though the Dragons failed to reach those lofty shooting standards from there, the strong start and cool shooting of the Bulldogs led to a 60-42 victory for the hosts in a battle of 5-4 teams in the thick of their respective region playoff picture.
Lawrence, playing out of Class A North, fell to 5-5 and entertains Cony on Thursday at 7 p.m., while Brunswick, from Class A South, improved to 6-4 and is home to undefeated Leavitt on Saturday at 1 p.m.
The key statistic for the Bulldogs came in the third quarter. Despite forcing seven Brunswick turnovers and hitting the glass for six offensive boards, Lawrence failed to gain on the Dragons after shooting a dismal 2-of-17 from the field and making just 4-of-9 at the free-throw line.
“It is a hit or miss game, and we obviously were not shooting very well tonight,” said Lawrence coach Jason Pellerin. “At times this season we have let misses get to us and I saw bad body language in the first half. I saw more fight in the second half, we just didn’t hit shots. We just need to get confidence and get ready for Cony.”
For Brunswick, the play of senior point guard Tony Cilea led the way. Cilea dished out nine assists, leading to easy baskets for his teammates.
“Lawrence is known for tenacious man-to-man defense, and Tony was able to break them down off the dribble, and when he got by his initial guy, he made things happen,” said Brunswick coach Todd Hanson. “He hit the right guy at the right time and was really dishing it tonight for easy buckets.”
“I was trying to get good looks for my teammates,” added Cilea. “We were coming off some tough losses, and this was a good team win. I am the only guard now, so it is good to be out there and lead the team with my passing.”
In the early going, Brunswick was hot, jumping out to a 7-0 lead two minutes into the game as Aidan Mitchell scored four points and Noah Cox swished a long 3-pointer.
Lawrence chipped away as Adam Duprey powered his way to five first-quarter points. Down 11-5, Duprey made two free throws and Nick Robertson nailed a trey to bring the Bulldogs to 11-10.
But, the Dragons ended the first quarter on another 7-0 run, with Cox scoring five of his 10 opening-quarter points for an 18-10 lead.
Brunswick continued its run to open the second, with Sam Sharpe slipping inside for two and Finn Mitchell cutting to the basket for a layup and a 22-10 Brunswick advantage.
“I don’t think we physically challenged them enough,” Pellerin said after watching the Dragons shoot 61 percent (13-of-21) in the first half for a 31-19 halftime lead.
Lawrence battles
Lawrence cut into the Dragon lead to begin the second half, as Gavin Herrin made a free throw and Kobe Nadeau hit a short jumper for a nine-point game, 31-22.
The Bulldogs owned the offensive boards, getting second and even third looks at the basket. But, the ball refused to drop, and Brunswick survived.
“I didn’t think we played particularly well in the third quarter, but we withstood that advantage,” said Hanson, whose Dragons carried a 40-27 edge into the fourth quarter.
A three-point play by Robertson to begin the final frame was answered with a 7-1 Brunswick run for a 47-31 advantage, and the Dragons cruised from there as Mitchell, Sharpe and Evan Kilfoil finished Cilea feeds down the stretch.
After facing Leavitt, Brunswick has Heal point-worthy games with Messalonskee and Medomak Valley before another meeting with Leavitt over the next two weeks.
“We have a string of games with some point-worthy opponents, and we’ll take them one game at a time, try to improve and keep climbing,” Hanson said.
For Pellerin and his Bulldogs, it is back to the gym.
“We will see how we bounce back from this from an intensity and confidence stand point. We just have to keep practicing and believe that the next one will go in,” the Lawrence coach said.
Cox paced Brunswick with a game-high 16 points, five rebounds, two blocked shots and two assists, while Mitchell picked up 11 points and seven boards, and Sharpe 10 points, five rebounds and three steals. Nuri Rosen chipped in seven points off the Dragon bench.
Nadeau had 15 points for Lawrence, which shot 22 percent (12-of-54) from the field and 14-of-26 from the charity stripe. Duprey added 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds, with Robertson finishing with nine points and three steals.
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