Morse’s Tom Warren puts up a shot against Cony in Tuesday’s boys high school basketball game. The senior finished with 18 points in the 93-48 loss. (Wendy Jung / Soggy Dog Designs)
BATH — For the first time in their coaching careers, Tom Maines and son TJ Maines were on opposite benches for a high school basketball game.
When all was said and done, the younger Maines’ squad showed why they’re competing for the top spot in Class A North.
After missing their first eight shots, the Rams nailed 15 first-half 3-point baskets, opening up a 59-23 lead at the half, cruising to a 93-48 Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference win over Morse on Senior Night at Bath Middle School.
“That’s as good as a team you’ll see in the state,” Tom Maines said. “They have some shooters out there.”
Cony finished with 20 baskets from behind the arc, including five each from Dakota Dearborn and Kyle Douin in the victory.
“We like to shoot, we practice shooting everyday,” TJ Maines said as his Rams improved to 13-4. “We hit 20 and that’s what we wanted to do.”
Morse fell to 4-13 and will travel to Camden Hills on Thursday for the regular season finale. Currently, the Shipbuilders are in ninth place in the Class A South Heal Points, clinging to the final postseason spot.
Morse jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in front of a capacity crowd as the visitors were cold out of the gate. The Rams hit didn’t their first shot until almost three minutes into the contest when Ian Bowers banked in a layup.
Then the threes began, as the Rams hit eight of their next 10 shots from behind the arc to go on a 23-3 run to end the first quarter, leading 28-8.
“We weren’t concerned that we started slow,” Cony’s Luke Briggs said, who hit four treys himself in the frame. “We know we can hit those shots so we kept shooting.”
Turnovers once again plagued the Shipbuilders, who turned the ball over nine times in the first quarter along with six more in the second.
“We just didn’t pass well,” Tom Maines said. “They come at you in the press and our kids turned the ball over.”
Cony opened the second quarter with more hot shooting, connecting on five of its first six shots from 3-point land and held a 53-13 lead five minutes into the quarter.
“We shoot the ball often and a lot. We’ve been shooting the ball a lot lately,” TJ Maines said. “In the last five games we were making 13 to 17 threes in each.”
Cony took a 36-point lead into the half, connecting on 15-of-31 from beyond the arc. Briggs had 14 first-half points, followed by Douin’s 12. The Rams held a slight advantage in rebounds, 15-14.
Josh ter Mors paced the ’Builders with seven points, followed by Tom Warren’s five. Caleb Jackson had five rebounds.
More shooting
The visitors continued shooting the long ball, and four more trey’s in the third quarter — three from Dearborn — and the Rams extended their lead to 73-26 midway through the quarter.
“We shoot like that, we’re pretty hard to beat,” the Cony coach said. “We’ve really got a great bunch of kids. We shoot and run, that’s a tempo we’re comfortable with.”
Morse continued to struggle with the suffocating Rams defense, turning the ball over six more times. The Rams held a comfortable 78-35 lead through three quarters.
As the case with most games this season, the elder Maines went deep on his bench, getting a lot of underclassmen some valuable playing time.
“It was good experience for them,” the Morse coach said. “They need to learn to play in this kind of environment.”
And as Tom Maines reflected after the game, he pointed out the Rams play like the style he’s teaching his Morse players.
“That’s how we play. That’s the way we want to play,” Tom Maines said. “TJ has done a fine job with them.”
And TJ was happy to come back home.
“For me to come home and showcase our group of kids, it’s a special thing.” TJ said. “All I’m doing is coaching how I was brought up. I’m very fortunate to have him as my dad and I love him to death.”
Dearborn finished with a game-high 18 points, followed by Douin’s 17.
Senior Arius Eich makes a free throw during the second half on Tuesday’s boys high school basketball game at Bath Middle School. (Wendy Jung / Soggy Dog Designs)
“We know we can all score, so we typically spread the scoring around,” Briggs said, as the freshman finished with 14 points.
Warren led Morse with 18 points and eight rebounds. Freshman ter Mors chipped in with eight points and Jackson and Gave Aucoin finished with six points each.
“Our team is young and they improve everyday,” senior Arius Eich said. “We know we can compete every night and we’re looking to get a prelim game next week.”
As for the Maines family, TJ felt fortunate to be on the court with his father.
“He thanked me for kicking his (butt) tonight and to get it done in the tournament,” the younger Maines said.
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