FARMINGTON — Spruce Mountain coach Scott Bessey wanted more from his team Tuesday night.
Yes, Bessey’s hard-charging Phoenix (8-1) shook off a determined Mt. Blue with a 56-48 victory that featured an all-out, free-for-all in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. But it could have been better.
“They (Cougars) played really well,” Bessey said. “I was disappointed with a few of my players, but we survived it.
“I think we played just well enough to win, and that is OK for some teams with certain expectations. We have very high expectations, so I expect more and they want me to expect more. They need me to expect more.
“I am never going to be a moral-victory guy. I am never going to cheer in a loss. Just playing well enough to win is not OK for us. If we have goals that we want to reach, we have to understand that we didn’t play well tonight. We got away with it. We escaped, but we got to get better.”
The stubborn Cougars made the Phoenix toil for every point they got in the fourth quarter.
Good thing Spruce Mountain hit a bunch of free throws at the end of the line, because Mt. Blue was forced to foul to get the ball back in the waning minutes. The Cougars were breathing down the Phoenix’s necks and they knew it.
The Phoenix were holding a tenuous 25-18 lead, and with the Cougars bearing down on them, Spruce Mountain had its work cut for it in the second half.
In the third period, Spruce regrouped, and when William Frederic knocked down a 3-pointer just before the buzzer, that long-range shot made it 38-33 and moved the Cougars to within five points.
In the fourth quarter, it could have gone either way, as bodies littered the floor when the two teams made their final push.
That’s when it got physical, and the Phoenix wore out a path to the free-throw line in the last 60 seconds.
Junior guard Mason Shink had the hot hand at the charity stripe, sinking six free throws in a row to keep the feisty Cougars at bay. He made eight of his 10 free-throw attempts and scored a game-high 15 points. Teammates Caulin Parker threw in 11 points and Austin scored 11 points.
Mt. Blue’s Cooper Hollingsworth led way with is team-high 12 points and Caleb Hall contributed 10.
The Cougars’ determination cannot be overlooked.
“I don’t know if surprised would be the word,” Mt. Blue coach Brian Kelly said. “I am pleased with the effort and all that. It is the way I knew we were capable of playing.
“A lot times, we bent, but we didn’t break. Spruce is a team that goes on runs and we have to limit those runs and come back with something good when they do, and we did. And multiple people stepped up; everybody contributed.
“The seniors of that (Mt. Blue) team I coached as freshmen. I was their JV basketball coach. There is that part of it that is interesting to see. Give them the credit for making the free throws at the end because if they missed, who knows. We may still be out there playing overtime.”
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