BRUNSWICK – The Brunswick girls basketball team faced yet another tough test on Tuesday. And, like they’ve done all season, the Dragons handled it just fine.

The Brunswick defense forced two late turnovers and junior Sophia Morin netted the final five points as the Dragons spoiled Gorham’s fourth-quarter comeback with a 46-42 victory. Morin finished with 17 points.

Brunswick (13-0) remained unbeaten while the Rams fell to 13-3.

“Anytime you get to play a team like Gorham, they’re well coached and play hard and they didn’t quit either,” Brunswick coach Sam Farrell said. “That’s the most fun we’ve had in a ball game in a long time. Of course, it’s a lot more fun when you get the ‘W’ in the end.”

The Dragons began the fourth quarter with a seemingly comfortable 15-point lead, but the Rams clawed back. The visitors opened the frame on an 11-3 run, sparked by an Anna Nelson basket from behind the arc, which cut the deficit to five, 39-34.

Following a Brunswick free throw, Gorham’s Ellie Gay hit back-to-back 3-pointers to bring the Rams within one with less than two minutes left.

“I thought some kids that hadn’t played a lot this year came in and gave us a spark,” Gorham coach Laughn Berthiaume said. “We had a couple come in that played in the JV game before and gave us a spark.”

After a Brunswick turnover, Gorham senior Leah Woodbury sank a pair of free throws to give the Rams their first lead of the game, 42-41 with 1:46 left in the game.

It was the only time Gorham — ranked first in AA-South Heal points — held the lead. Morin’s second basket in the final minutes rolled around the rim before falling through the net, giving the home team a 45-42 lead with 28-seconds remaining,

The Brunswick defense — already having forced a tie-up, as well as making a stop and stealing a pass in the last three Gorham possessions — forced a five-second violation for yet another turnover.

Morin’s final point with 7.5-seconds on the clock sealed the win.

Brunswick’s Kelsie Carlton (12) goes up for a shot by a Gorham defender during a game Tuesday night in Brunswick. Eric Maxim/The Times Record

“We knew we were going to play a tough game coming into it from the start. We definitely knew the game wasn’t over, we’ve had to battle back before so we knew they were capable of doing that, and they did so we just kept fighting the whole game,” Morin said. “I have tons of classes with all of the girls on the team and we were all hyped for this game, right from the start of the day. We had the motivation from the start.”

“Sophia’s been making big plays for us.” Farrell added. “She had way too many turnovers in the fourth quarter, but when it counted, we got the ball in her hands. That’s what you want, not everyone can make a mistake and turn it around.”

Morin credits the tight-knit atmosphere around the team, with everyone picking each other up.

“Our team always has each other’s back, we trust each other on defense and pick each other up on offense,” said Morin.

The Dragons opened the game on a 9-1 run, highlighted by a Logan Brown 3-pointer.

Gorham bounced back and finished the quarter strong, trailing 13-8 behind a Nelson bucket and Brylee Bishop 3-pointer.

It was more of the same for the Dragons in the second. Morin took a charge at the 6:18 mark that pumped up the bench while her sister, freshman Lexi Morin, netted all five of her points in the frame.

“We’ve got a freshman out there playing like she’s not a freshman,” said Farrell in regards to Lexi Morin’s first season.

Brown sank a shot off the glass with 2:45 left in the half to put Brunswick up 20-11 before carrying a 24-15 lead into the break.

Behind Morin, Brown finished with 12 points, while Carlton finished with six. Woodbury and Nelsen each scored 13 points to lead the Rams.

Brunswick will host Marshwood on Thursday.

Comments are not available on this story.

« Previous

Next »

Related Stories