LISBON FALLS – The flu left Brendan McGivney unable to play or practice for four days last week. His senior-laden Lisbon High School boys’ basketball team simply got sick of losing close games.
McGivney didn’t start in his return to the Manchester Gymnasium court Monday night, but the 6-foot-6 senior center certainly finished Wiscasset in a 76-52 Mountain Valley Conference rout.
After entering the game midway through the first quarter, McGivney rarely returned to the bench for liquid refreshment thereafter on his way to 21 points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots.
“He looked fine to me,” said Lisbon coach Doug Sautter. “I told him he wasn’t going to start, but once he got in, he seemed to be the most well-rested person out there.”
Shackled by foul trouble throughout the first month of the season, McGivney’s mental game thrived in the unfamiliar sixth-man role.
McGivney dropped in two inside baskets to give Lisbon a 17-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. He scored seven to ward off a Wiscasset run in the second stanza and erupted for 10 in a five-minute span of the third period.
Best of all for Lisbon, its all-conference caliber pivot didn’t pick up his lone personal foul until after the Greyhounds (5-4) built a 20-point lead in the fourth.
“I’ve been sick, and I’ve been struggling,” McGivney said. “I hit a couple of shots while we were warming up, and I just knew it was going to be my night.”
There were plenty of high-percentage hoops to go around. Lisbon exploited its size advantage over the Redskins (4-5) with numerous easy deuces out of its half-court sets and an equal number of uncontested, transition twos.
Levi Ervin finished with 17 points and seven rebounds for the Greyhounds, who won their second straight game after a stretch of hard-fought home losses to Dirigo, Winthrop and Boothbay.
“We got a win over Monmouth on Saturday, and it’s got to start somewhere,” Sautter said. “We keep talking about starting a new trend.”
Evan Manocal added 14 points and Mike Wilkins notched 11 for Lisbon, which outlasted four ties and four lead changes in the first half before hitting 20-of-31 from the field after the break. Wilkins and Chris Brunick each dished out eight assists.
Curtis DeCosta led Wiscasset with 20 points. Ben Matzell drained five 3-pointers and concluded with 16 points for the Redskins, who reached the Western Class C championship game last winter.
Lisbon’s hopes of advancing to this year’s Class B regional would have absorbed a vicious hit with a loss, but the Greyhounds erased any doubts in the first three minutes of the second half. Wilkins fed Ervin for a traditional 3-point play and Brunick twice set up Manocal as Lisbon scored the first nine points to open its largest lead to that point at 40-29.
McGivney’s offensive fireworks coupled with his nimble, shot-altering defense upped the advantage to 56-42 by quarter’s end. Wiscasset went 7-for-31 from the floor in the second half.
“We definitely needed a big game to get this week off on the right foot,” McGivney said, pointing to another middle-of-the-MVC-pack clash against Telstar on Thursday night.
koakes@sunjournal.com
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