Winthrop High School’s Cam Wood is surrounded by Spruce Mountain High School defenders during a basketball game on Monday in Winthrop. (Andy Molloy/Kennebec Journal Photo)
WINTHROP — Winthrop held Spruce Mountain to three points in the final 5:52 to pull away with its second win of the season over the Phoenix, 53-34, on Monday night.
Cam Wood led the Ramblers (13-4) with 18 points and 14 rebounds, while Nate LeBlanc added 10 points.
Andrew Shaw had nine points to lead the Phoenix (12-5), who lost to the Ramblers 43-41 on Jan. 26 in Jay.
Spruce Mountain scored just 10 points in the first half on 3-for-21 shooting. Yet the Phoenix, who trailed by as much as 15 in the third quarter, rallied to pull within 36-31 on a pair of Mason Shink 3-pointers and a Brett Frey drive with 5:52 left.
They didn’t score again until a Jordan Daigle free throw in the final seconds. A 3-pointer by Ryan Baird shifted the momentum back in Winthrop’s favor, sparking a 17-1 game-ending run.
“That was big because it kind of stopped that run,” Winthrop coach Todd MacArthur said. “They were trying to play a little helter-skelter and scrambling to create pressure, and I thought that brought them out and opened some holes for Cam and Sam (Figueroa) to finish down low.”
LeBlanc also thrived in the paint down the stretch, combining with Wood and Figueroa for 10 of the Ramblers’ final 14 points.
Winthrop’s size, particularly the 6-foot-8 Wood, gave Spruce all sorts of problems in the first matchup, and the Ramblers tested the paint early again Monday to build a 9-3 lead after one quarter.
Frey’s 3-pointer was the Phoenix’s only field goal in a 1-for-10 first quarter. Things didn’t get much better in the second quarter (2-for-11), as the Ramblers built a 21-10 lead.
“It’s a shot-making sport and you’ve got to have a certain level of mental toughness in a big game to hit open shots, and thus far this season, when the game have been the biggest, we’ve been the coldest,” Spruce Mountain coach Scott Bessey said. “Sorry, but they’re the same shots we’ve been making every game. Winthrop plays pretty good defense, but when we’re missing wide-open 3s and only have 10 points at halftime, that’s more toughness than anything. Hopefully we find some before the tournament.”
The lack of shots falling meant the Phoenix couldn’t use their press nearly as much as they would have liked. Trailing 34-23 at the end of the third, they finally got the chance with Shink and Frey’s hoops and forced the Ramblers into mistakes that led to more offense. But then they went cold again, missing their last eight shots.
“A lot of that has to do with the way we played defense,” MacArthur said. “We’re trying to get them playing Winthrop defense, and we struggle sometimes with communication and trust and five guys playing as a unit. That was the best defense we played all season long.”
Winthrop High School’s Sam Figueroa, left, collects the ball as Spruce Mountain High School’s Brett Frey attempts to recover it during a basketball game on Monday in Winthrop. (Andy Molloy/Kennebec Journal Photo) Winthrop High School coach Todd MacArthur and his team cheer a basket against Spruce Mountain High School during a basketball game on Monday in Winthrop. (Andy Molloy/Kennebec Journal Photo)
Winthrop High School’s Cam Wood goes up for two against Spruce Mountain High School during a basketball game on Monday in Winthrop. (Andy Molloy/Kennebec Journal Photo)
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