FARMINGTON — Skowhegan sophomore swingman Levi Obert never flinched when he stole the ball and scored on a layup.
Mt. Blue’s Hunter Meeks (21) leaps to stop Skowhegan’s Carter Hunt (10) in a basketball game in Farmington on Saturday night. Tony Blasi/Sun Journal Buy this Photo
Obert was fouled and shook himself off to turn a layup into a three-point play, helping give Skowhegan a 31-29 victory over Mt. Blue in a Class A North boys basketball game on Saturday night.
The Cougars were holding on dearly to a 29-28 lead with 2:09 left the fourth quarter. But a couple of failed attempts score by the Cougars opened the door for Obert’s heroics.
Obert (five points) said he wasn’t nervous as he sped toward the basket and turned in a clutch performance.
“Not really. I have been in that situation before,”he said. “With the team behind my back, they helped me out.”
Mt. Blue’s defense put the kibosh on a quick and agile Skowhegan team in the first half, during which the Cougars built a 19-16 lead
The Cougars kept a fast-and-furious Skowhegan at bay well into the third quarter, and that’s when things got tough.
Jimmy Reed carried the load for Skowhegan (6-4), going 4-for-5 at the foul line to score a team-high 12 points. For the evening, Skowhegan 8-for-11 at the free-throw line.
But Obert’s layup sealed Mt. Blue’s fate.
“We talked about that before — be super aggressive on the ball, and you never know,” Skowhegan coach Tom Nadeau said. “He’s only a sophomore. There is plenty of room for growth, that is big for us.
“He is kid that when he plays with confidence, he does good things.”
Nadeau was impressed with the way the his players stuck together.
“We weren’t playing to the best of our abilities,” Nadeau said. “Shots weren’t falling. It was a defensive effort. We were making too many mental mistakes, but we stuck with it and we were able to find a way to win.
“Mt. Blue’s effort was awesome. they were ready to play. I think it was game for them that they needed to win. They certainly made us earn it.”
Freshman Zach Poisson led the charge for the Cougars, scoring a game-high 15 points.
“We played excellent defensively,” Mt. Blue coach Troy Norton said. “We had great effort. I am proud of the team for that.
“We just keep finding ways to lose, you know, not making plays at the end of close games. I told them in the locker room, eventually we are going to win one of those close games. But we keep telling them, you’ve got to keep playing 32 minutes. We are playing 30 good minutes, but we played hard and we will back it next week.”
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