LISBON — Cody Roberts is used to being the first player off the bench.
Recently, he has been the only player coming off the Wiscasset bench, with normal starter Kevin Lynch missing his second straight Mountain Valley Conference game on Tuesday against rival Lisbon.
Entering the contest in a 2-2 deadlock midway through a slow-paced first quarter, Roberts picked up the tempo for his Wolverines, dishing out two quick assists, picking up a pair of steals and pulling down four rebounds, leading a 12-2 run that proved vital in Wiscasset’s 57-47 victory.
Roberts finished with eight points, eight rebounds and six assists. His steal and pass to teammate Ethan James (17 points, 10 rebounds, three blocked shots) came in the middle of a game-clinching 12-1 run in the fourth quarter after Lisbon had cut a 12-point halftime deficit down to four points.
“Cody’s athleticism really brings energy for us,” Wiscasset coach Dana Lawrence said. “He stabilized what we were trying to do there. Then Zach Reed (13 points) hits some big shots around the elbow to loosen up Ethan. We moved the ball around better and showed more patience.”
“We had a lot of intensity and really pushed the ball toward the paint where our strong point is with Ethan down there,” Roberts said. “We are able to pull down offensive rebounds and put shots back up. That is a key for us”
In the first half, Wiscasset turned eight offensive rebounds into 14 points, grabbing a 27-15 lead at the break.
“We missed shots, and that happens sometimes,” said Lisbon (5-3) coach Jake Gentle. “We knew they would crash well, and we did some good things. We were blocking out three guys, but it was the fourth and fifth guys that were getting the rebounds.”
Strong start
Wiscasset darted out early, with James scoring five points and Reed and Nate Woodman chipping in four points apiece for a 16-6 Wolverines lead through a quarter.
Lisbon made just 2-of-10 shots in the frame.
Wiscasset continued to keep Lisbon at bay, with James and Roberts picking up four points each in the second quarter. The Greyhounds got as close as eight points twice, but Roberts drove hard for a hoop and harm, and James closed the half with an offensive board putback. Wiscasset held a 20-9 rebounding edge through 16 minutes.
The third quarter was played at a fast pace. Sean Scott swished a pair of 3-pointers and scored 10 points, while Henry Doyle added eight as Lisbon made a run to get to 41-35 heading to the fourth quarter.
“We did a good job making that run,” said Gentle.
A pair of free throws by Tyrese Joseph (eight points, six rebounds, four steals, four assists) allowed the Greyhounds to close to 41-37 early in the fourth.
But, Woodman scored four of his eight points off passes from James, with the Wolverines using the 12-1 run to put the game out of reach.
“We had possession of the ball down four points and we turned it over,” said Gentle. “We just couldn’t make a mistake over three or four possessions, and we did. We cut the halftime deficit down. We were where we wanted to be there. We didn’t execute tonight. We need to put this one behind us and focus on Madison.”
“Every win is big in this conference,” said Lawrence. “Winthrop, Madison, Hall-Dale, all are playing great basketball. Night-in, night-out, you have to come in playing great basketball or you’re going to get it handed to you. There are no easy nights.”
Doyle led Lisbon with 19 points, with Scott adding 16. Woodman had nine points for Wiscasset and did a solid job on Greyhound sharp-shooter Jonah Sautter.
“Nate held Sautter to no field goals. I would say that is a really good night,” said Lawrence, whose Wolverines shot 48 percent from the floor (23-of-47) while holding Lisbon to just 30 percent from the field (15-of-49). Wiscasset held a 39-22 rebounding advantage.
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