AUBURN — Waynflete’s fast-and-furious transition game allowed the Flyers to stay one step ahead of St. Dom’s in a Western Maine Conference boys basketball game.
The Saints’ composure and determination wasn’t enough as the Flyers held on for a 48-34 victory Thursday.
The patient Saints (5-7) never appeared rattled in the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t close the gap.
Nico Kirby paved the way for the Flyers (8-6), knocking down five 3-pointers and scoring 23 points. Connor Ford added 10 points to the Flyers’ cause. Waynflete went 13 for 15 from the free-throw line. Jonathan Tangilamesu led the Saints with 13 points.
According to Kirby, the Flyers haven’t been running a lot of transition during the season, but they certainly ran it well Thursday night — and he enjoys that fast-paced style of basketball.
“It is something good to add to our connect game because we have a lot of sass,” Kirby said. “We don’t have a lot of size, so using our speed and athleticism, I think that’s something we have been adding, but we haven’t been doing it a whole lot this season.”
Kirby smiled when he was asked about his 23-point performance.
“My shots were falling,” he said. “It is always feels good when your shots are falling and getting good looks. I think overall as a team, we played really well.”
Waynflete coach Rich Henry said the Flyers are starting to see the light when it comes to transition basketball.
“I think the guys are getting a little bit more dialed in, not as much as I like because I am a perfectionist, but we realize we are not the biggest team, but we do have some guys who can get up and down the floor,” Henry said. “We do try and push it when it makes sense.
“The challenge for us, as with most teams is, when does it make sense and when do you pull it back?”
Henry was impressed with Kirby’s performance.
“Nico is an outstanding player,” Henry said. “And he is an absolute joy to coach. He is always optimistic. He is one of the hardest working guys on the team. Always has a smile on his face. He is a point guard who jumps center for us. That kind of encapsulates it right there.”
The Saints did make the Flyers work for every basket despite what the final score said.
“We battled every game,” St. Dom’s coach Josh LaPrell said. “We’ve had sickness; we’ve had injury. So we had some adversity. Taylor (Varney) is sick today. He had to battle through that, and I felt like we didn’t get his best game, but he gave it everything he had.”
LaPrell knew his Saints were facing a good team — and a good coach.
“Rich does such a great job,” LaPrell said. “He is such a good coach. Nico Kirby — that might have been the best offensive performance we’ve seen all season. That last shot he hit — like that fade-away corner 3-pointer — was as tough a shot I think I’ve seen a Maine basketball player make. We had hands in (Nico’s) face. We had guys all over him and I would be shocked if he missed many shots.”
The Flyers thrived in their transition game and dominated the glass in the first quarter. Ford and Kirby each scored four points as Waynflete rolled to a 14-9 lead after one period. A pair of 3-pointers, one apiece by Campbell Perryman and Varney, kept the Saints from falling far behind.
Waynflete had a brief lull on offense in the second quarter, allowing St. Dom’s to climb within three points, but the Flyers’ transition game came back to life, and Kirby scored another seven points, helping them take a 26-19 lead into halftime.
Perryman (10 points) and King Romeo Iraganie each scored four points for the Saints in the second, and Tangilamesu slipped in another two on a dazzling turn-around from underneath the basket.
Waynflete had a hard time scoring toward the end of the third quarter, but the Saints also struggled on offense. The Flyers snapped out of their funk and still kept their distance, building a 36-25 lead.
Tangilamesu scored six and Perryman hit another 3 for St. Dom’s in the fourth, but a pair of treys by Kirby kept Waynflete in front.
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