LISBON — DJ Douglass knows there are eyes on him this year every time the Lisbon High School boys’ basketball team takes the court.
With Lisbon having to replace graduated 1,000-point scorer Jonah Sautter, Douglass has shown a nice shooting touch, including Friday night’s 29-point effort in Lisbon’s 60-52 Mountain Valley Conference win over Mt. Abram.
The Greyhounds (1-2) needed the win after suffering two one-sided losses to talented Winthrop and Boothbay, and Douglass made sure there was not going to be a third setback to start the campaign.
“It was good to get our first win of the season,” Douglass said after hitting seven 3-pointers.
“He needed a game like this after struggling the first two games,” Lisbon coach Jake Gentle said. “Good shooters find their way and their rhythm, and when he hits shots we can be tough to defend. It was good for us to have everyone chipping in tonight.”
A strong first half set up Lisbon’s first win. Douglass scored 17 points as the Greyhounds jumped out to a 33-19 edge.
“We missed a lot of easy shots early, but so did they,” Gentle said.
Trailing 7-3, Lisbon used an 11-2 run to close the opening quarter for a 14-9 lead. The run continued into the second frame, with Nick Blair scoring inside to push the advantage to double digits, 22-11. Douglass hit five first-half treys.
“We had a matchup issue there, and we should have put more pressure on him,” Mt. Abram (0-4) coach Dustin Zamboni said.
Douglass said the pressure that has been placed on him has not changed the way he plays.
“I don’t really feel pressure because we have some talented new guys. Tonight I was hot and things went my way,” Douglass said.
The first four minutes of the second half was more of the same for Lisbon. Douglass swished his final two treys, Blair powered in two layups and Corey Weirs hit a 3-pointer to extend the advantage to a game-high 20 points, 48-28.
Nate Luce worked to bring the Roadrunners (0-4) back into it. He scored nine points in the third quarter, including a lay-in late in the frame as Mt. Abram went to the fourth trailing 48-34.
Fouls hurt the Greyhounds, as several players were saddled with three fouls.
“They were in the bonus with seven minutes to go. It put us in a bind,” Gentle said. “We were able to hit some layups there.”
Douglass took his game inside for two big baskets, and Blair finished off his 11-point night with four more points,. Wiers added 10 points for Lisbon.
Luce added four more points to his team-high 22 for Mt. Abram, and Kenyon Pillsbury scored all 11 of his points in the second half, and Hunter Warren had seven.
“We adjusted in the second half and played more like a team on defense,” Zamboni said. “I was happy with how we played in the fourth quarter. That is the way I want us to play. We overcame adversity tonight. In previous games we folded with big deficits. Tonight, down by 14 and we came back. I take some positives away from that second half, for sure.”
“When the game is over, we focus on what we did well and what we didn’t do so well,” Gentle said. “We didn’t play our best those first two games, but those two teams are good defensive teams and forced us into that. We just take it one day at a time.”
Luce had a double-double with 11 rebounds, while Warren picked up eight boards.
Wiers had a solid all-around game with five rebounds, four steals and three assists. Issac Burnell, Blair, Ring Ring and Seth Tapley each pulled down five rebounds for Lisbon.
Both teams face Monmouth next — the Greyhounds on the road Tuesday and Mt. Abram at home Thursday.
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