BRUNSWICK — Edward Little boys’ basketball has experienced its share of satisfying, signature wins in the vintage decade-and-a-half that Mike Adams has shepherded the program.
Hard to say where the 54-46 victory over Brunswick on Saturday afternoon falls on the hit list, but it certainly soars to the top of this season’s chart.
Thirty-nine days earlier, the Dragons ripped the Red Eddies 67-35 at Auburn Heights. EL (8-6) lost two more to Class AA North opponents before winning seven of eight, the latest this redemptive gem.
“Coach didn’t have to say it. We all knew it coming in,” junior CJ Jipson said. “They beat us by 32 at our house. It was a rough stretch, but since then we’ve pounded the ball inside, and that’s been the key for us.”
The Red Eddies conducted a halfcourt clinic on both sides of the time line, particularly in the second half.
EL was 8-for-14 from the field and 12-for-16 on the line after intermission. Brunswick (9-5) couldn’t snag a single offensive rebound in the third quarter, when the Eddies expanded a modest 25-24 edge to 41-30.
Jarod Norcross Plourde was the Dragons’ primary defensive focus after he erupted for 13 points in the first quarter. He still finished with a game-high 19.
Samatar Iman scored 14 of his 15 points in the second half. Jipson, saddled with his third foul in the final minute of the second quarter, was a steady presence down the stretch and combined his eight points with eight assists.
“To lose by 32 a month and a half ago and to come back and against a good Brunswick team who’s been playing well, the boys played as a team and did all the things we wanted them to do,” Adams said. “We’re a tough match. That was one of our game plans. We really wanted to spread them out.”
Caleb Cost led Brunswick, a contender in Class A South and EL’s longtime KVAC rival, with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Thomas Hanson added 10 points and blanketed Plourde after his scorching start. Jennings Souza supplied 10 points off the bench.
Brunswick beat Biddeford convincingly on Friday night. In the next-day matinee, the Dragons were too content to settle for perimeter bids against EL’s 2-3 zone.
“We knew whether we had a week to prepare or 12 hours to prepare, it was going to be a totally different ballgame,” Brunswick coach Todd Hanson said. “With what Mike does with his program, it was going to be a battle. That’s a good club.”
Tyler Morin’s defense silenced Cost — who scored 18 in the previous meeting —during the third quarter while Jipson and Iman nursed foul trouble.
It freed up Iman, previously held without a field goal, to ignite offensively. His 3-pointer from the right wing answered a Corban Teel layup on Brunswick’s opening possession and gave EL the lead for good, 28-26, with 7:14 remaining in the period.
The Dragons stayed within two, 30-28, via Hanson hook shot before a 7-0 Eddies run. Morin’s defensive rebound sent EL on the break and set up a 3-point play by Iman. Plourde broke free and cashed in an inbounds lob from Jipson. Morin knocked down a feathery jumper in the paint.
“We picked up our defense. The zone was great,” Iman said. “Ball movement was a major key in the game. We moved it around. Brunswick is a great team and Coach Hanson does a great job. It’s a really nice win for us.”
Brunswick shot 10-for-31 in the second half and 16-for-51 (31 percent) overall.
Iman and Plourde capped the quarter with back-to-back baskets. EL then was remarkably disciplined in the fourth, passing up everything but the most uncontested shots and nursing the clock to hearts’ content.
“The first game against them and during the five-game losing streak, we just pushed the ball. We rushed,” Jipson said. “Now that we’ve settled and dumped the ball inside, it’s been a good run.”
EL’s lead never shrank below seven points in the fourth period. Jipson, Iman and Austin Cox each canned couplets from the line, allowing the Eddies even to concede a few Dragons’ drives to get the ball back and dictate the pace.
Free-throw numbers were a reflection of the divergent stratgies. EL was 20-for-29. Brunswick attempted only six, sinking four.
“We’ve kind of evolved into a jump shooting team, and when we’re not making jump shots, we’re not effective. We didn’t get to the rim and create contact, and therefore we weren’t able to get to the line,” Hanson said. “That really hurt us offensively. They’re very efficient on offense. They didn’t turn the ball over. They either got up a quality shot or we’d foul them.”
Plourde scored the first five points of the game and the initial baker’s dozen for EL. Brunswick kept pace, pulled even four times and took the lead at 14-13 on a Hanson 3-pointer.
Iman’s free throw, Darby Shea’s backdoor layup after an offensive carom by Grant Hartley and a Cox putback made it 18-14 at the horn.
The Dragons couldn’t fully capitalize on 11 consecutive EL misses to start the second. Shea scored from the baseline with five seconds to go, nudging the Eddies ahead at the half.
“In the first quarter we got the ball inside. The second quarter we settled a little bit,” Adams said. “I think we were a little too predictable sometimes by keeping Jarod in the post and making him easier to defend. But we got other guys involved too and got some easier looks.”
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