Yarmouth’s Will Cox, left, looks to dribble while Brunswick’s Thomas Harvey defends during a game Monday afternoon in Brunswick. Eli Canfield/The Times Record
BRUNSWICK — Brunswick head coach Todd Hanson has been waiting for this day since last February. After dropping their first two games of the season, the Dragons rose to the occasion to fend off a pesky Yarmouth squad and earn a 52-43 boys basketball win Monday.
“I just told our guys how much we’ve improved since the season began only six days ago,” said Hanson. “We’re getting better everyday, and it definitely feels good to get a win.”
The Dragons opened their season last Tuesday in Freeport, and then hosted the Falcons on Thursday, losing both games.
Yarmouth’s Sutter Augur, left, starts to drive as Brunswick’s Wes Cooper defends during a game Monday in Brunswick. Eli Canfield/The Times Record
Monday marked their third game in six days, but that’s OK with Hanson.
“It’s hard to simulate the real speed of a game in practice so all these games in a short amount of time is a great opportunity for every guy on this team to get better and gain experience while doing it,” Hanson said. “It feels like we’ve taken three giant steps in just three games, it’s now just about getting the guys more comfortable playing with each other and getting their legs under them. We have a lot of guys who played junior varsity last year and it’s a big jump to the varsity level.”
The Dragons returned just six players from their varsity roster last season, but seem to have found the right group of players to fill in the vacated roles nicely, including two sophomores being inserted into the starting lineup in Quinn McCaffrey and Thomas Harvey. Harvey got some varsity experience last season, while McCaffrey started on the JV team.
The two sophomore starters combined for 26 of Brunswick’s 52 points, with McCaffrey leading all scorers with 18 points, including four 3-pointers.
“It still seems like we’re just getting warmed up as a team, but it gives me confidence that my coach and teammates trust me,” said McCaffrey. “It took me a couple games to get loose but today I was definitely feeling it.”
The Dragons took control behind an 11-0 run to end the third quarter. After a McCaffrey three and an Ethan Rollins jumper, the Dragons got all the momentum they needed off an Evan Kilfoil steal and slam dunk on the other end.
Brunswick’s Evan Kilfoil, right, calls out a play as Yarmouth’s Cam Rollins defends during a game Monday in Brunswick. Eli Canfield/The Times Record
“Evan definitely found his legs in the second half, you always love to see a play like that,” McCaffrey said.
The Dragons outscored the Clippers 18-9 in the third to take full control.
The Clippers found some momentum toward the end of the quarter, when Will Cox swatted McCaffrey’s last second shot out of bounds as the third quarter expired.
In the fourth, the Clippers chipped away, but after a Cody Larson layup plus the foul and another Kilfoil slam to give the Dragons a 15-point lead, the result was all but decided.
The Clippers did what they could to keep it close, including a 6-0 run by Cam Rollins alone, but it was too little too late. It was the first loss of the season for Yarmouth after two wins over Lake Region last week.
“I think this was a confidence booster for not only me, but everyone on the team,” said McCaffrey. “The first win is always the hardest, we don’t have to worry about that anymore and can just go out and play our game.”
If the Clippers game plan going in was to do everything they can to stop Kilfoil, then they succeeded in the first half. Kilfoil was held to 0 points and got into foul trouble, limiting his minutes.
He scored all 10 of his points in the second half, and added five rebounds and three steals. Harvey added eight for Brunswick, and Larson chipped in with seven, all in the second half.
Matt Waeldner paced the Clippers’ well-balanced attack with 11 points, but couldn’t find his shot in the fourth and was shut out in the quarter. Cox and Peter Psyhogeos each added seven points apiece, while Rollins and Sutter Augur had six apiece.
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