TURNER — Leavitt boys’ basketball playoff hopes, already flickering like the lights during a blizzard, nearly went black Friday night during a flurry of a 3-pointers from Jakob Erskine of Nokomis.
Led by the Calder brothers, the Hornets restored the power, at least for now. Senior point guard Isaiah and sophomore wing Eli combined for 18 of Leavitt’s 22 points in the fourth quarter, reversing a six-point deficit into a 63-55 KVAC Class B win.
“We’ve got to get them all,” Leavitt coach Mike Hathaway said. “We’ve said if we don’t win our last six games, we’re leaving it to chance.”
Leavitt improved to 7-7 with four games to play. The Hornets have a double-digit disparity to make up in the tournament index column of Class B West Heal Points, but a brutal closing stretch of Spruce Mountain, MCI, Maranacook and Winslow furnishes the chance.
Isaiah Calder finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and four steals. Eli Calder collected 11 of his 13 points in the final 6:55 while the Hornets muffled the young Warriors (2-12) and their streaky perimeter shooters to a dull roar.
“I had a kid on the bench, Chad Morin, who pulled me aside and gave me some confidence,” Eli Calder said. “I seemed to come out and hit some shots late in the game to put us up.”
Erskine, a sophomore and the second player off the Warriors’ bench, scored 14 of his 15 points in the second half, 12 of them on 3-pointers in a span of just over two minutes.
Mike Massow added 12 points and nine rebounds, while Noah Kershner chalked up 10 points and 12 boards.
“The sophomore came off the bench and did a good job. Experience is a big thing,” Nokomis coach Carl Parker said. “Noah, our one senior, has been a great leader. They’re real competitors. I just tell them that’s part of the experience. Someday you’re going to be that junior or senior.”
Nokomis, starting two freshmen and a sophomore, had a lead in every quarter except the second. Kershner banked in a 3-pointer early in the third to cap a 13-0 run and nudge Nokomis in front, 30-27.
There were five more lead changes and two ties in the period. Erskine rained down 3s from opposite corners.
Korey Caito’s two free throws with 5.8 seconds remaining put Leavitt on top 41-39, but Erskine christened the fourth with consecutive bombs, then fed Massow on the fast break for a 47-41 edge a minute into the final stanza.
Hathaway called timeout and scrapped Leavitt’s beleaguered full-court pressure and half-court trap in favor of man-to-man. It worked, with the Warriors cooling to 6-for-22 shooting in the decisive quarter.
“We probably should have switched it up a little sooner,” Isaiah Calder said. “That’s what we’vefound out over the season. When we play a good shooting team, stick with the man-to-man and get a hand up on the shooters, and that worked well tonight.”
Nokomis wouldn’t score again until Leavitt chalked up 14 unanswered points, including a dozen from the Calders.
As Leavitt’s defense buckled down, it fueled the Hornets’ running game. Eli Calder drove to the basket and ended Nokomis’ run. After another possession led to two missed free throws, Isaiah Calder snagged the rebound and started a 3-point play.
Caito’s baseline jumper retrieved the lead for good with 5:23 to go.
“I thought Eli struggled early in the game, even the beginning of the third quarter. He and Ike both (took a bad shot), and I took them both out and kind of gave them the business on the bench,” Hathaway said. “I thought after that they came in and played much more under control, started attacking the rim instead of settling for the pull-ups without passing the ball.”
D’Andre James kicked it out to Eli Calder for a 3-pointer and a 51-47 advantage. Each of the brothers then went coast-to-coast for two, Isaiah off a steal, establishing a cushion that was enough to stave off Nokomis’ third rally of the night.
Alex Baird knocked down two free throws to bring the Warriors within three, 58-55, at the 1:21 mark. Brad Allen had a crack at the tying 3-pointer next time down for Nokomis, but Eli Calder corralled the miss and cashed in both halves of an ensuing double bonus.
“We stopped making shots,” Parker said. “We had three or four good shots with good people shooting them. They were there, but they didn’t go.”
Eight different players scored to help Leavitt build a 27-17 lead midway through the second quarter. Matt Albert and Jack Sylvester each supplied four off the bench.
“That’s one thing Coach has stressed from the beginning of the year: When we move the ball, we’re a totally different team,” Isaiah Calder said.
Nokomis scored the next eight heading into the locker room.
“They can shoot it, and they’ve got some good, young players,” Hathaway said. “They’re going to be good down the road.”
Gabe Seeley finished with seven points and a team-hgh 12 rebounds for Leavitt. Caito combined six points with seven assists. James made four steals.
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