BUCKFIELD — Kasey Robertson is one of only two Buckfield boys’ basketball starters who would have to duck if he walked into a room with a six-foot ceiling.
Being a head taller than most of his teammates isn’t the only reason Robertson was easy to pick out Tuesday night. The 6-foot-4 senior racked up 22 points, 17 rebounds and six steals to secure Buckfield an important 43-40 win over Rangeley.
“We definitely executed, worked hard, did everything we could to get the ball in low,” Robertson said.
The victory was bigger than mere bragging rights over a longtime East-West Conference rival.
After losses to Elan and Richmond — two of the preseason favorites in Western Class D — Buckfield (2-3) needed a quick post-holiday win to ignite its own tournament hopes.
Against Rangeley (4-2), the Bucks bagged one that should pay Heal Point dividends to the finish.
“That was huge. I’m very pleased with that win,” Buckfield coach Doug Rines said. “We have a tough five or six (players) if we run our stuff.”
Indeed, the Bucks were more than just Robertson.
Alan Hedrick scored six of his eight points in the second half. Austin Dooley was an all-around menace with six points, five assists and 12 rebounds.
Point guard Trevor Averill added six points and four assists.
“He’s tough as nails. We go as he goes,” Rines said of Averill. “But the key to the whole game was to keep our big men on the floor.”
Alex Morton led the Lakers with 17 points and eight rebounds. Regan Sargent added 10 points and nine rebounds. Zeke Hall fought the effects of illness and finished with seven points, nine boards and four assists.
Five lead changes highlighted a frenetic, if cold-shooting, first half. Despite no field goals for the final 4:48, Buckfield enjoyed a 20-19 halftime lead.
Robertson had a dozen points at the break. Averill also nailed a bank-shot 3-pointer and Dooley delivered a traditional 3-point play.
Buckfield harassed Rangeley into 7-for-30 shooting in the half and 16-of-60 (27 percent) overall.
“We played strong. I think our defense is really strong,” Robertson said. “They all worked hard tonight.”
Rangeley missed its first 11 shots of the second half. Buckfield matched that number in unanswered points and built a 31-19 lead.
Hedrick had five points in that run, including three straight free throws after he was fouled beyond the arc.
Leading 31-24 after three, Buckfield went up by nine, 39-30, on a Hedrick free throw with 5:31 to go.
Morton strung together two hoops for Rangeley, and Buckfield rode out a 2-for-9 slump from the free-throw line that kept the issue in doubt.
Another transition hoop by Morton cut the Lakers deficit to three in the final minute. Robertson responded with another inside bucket.
“Kasey‘s strong. He’s one of the fittest kids out there,” Rines said.
koakes@sunjournal.com
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