Brunswick storms back, edges Edward Little

Grace Beaudet, center, of Edward Little High School competes for a rebound with Sabrina Armstrong, left, and Charlotte MacMillan of Brunswick during the second period in Auburn on Tuesday. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)

AUBURN — This time, this year, Jade Perry’s last-ditch 3-pointer just missed.

One year after suffering a heartbreaking loss to Edward Little on a late Perry trey, Brunswick returned the favor Tuesday. Charlotte MacMillan hit a baseline jumper in the latter stages of the teams’ KVAC contest to help the visitors pull out a 37-36 victory and extend the Dragons’ undefeated season to 17-0.

Edward Little (11-6), which was coming off a win over previously unbeaten South Portland, led the majority of the game. Perry, the Dragon slayer last season, had the hot hand on Tuesday night, scoring 20 points, and even had a look at another dagger at the buzzer, but just missed.

The Eddies gave up the lead for the first time with 2:07 left on a Marley Groat layup, which made it 33-31 in favor of Brunswick. Edward Little didn’t quit, answering right back with a layup from Chantel Ouellette that resulted in a traditional 3-point play with 1:22 remaining.

Groat hit another shot to put the Dragons ahead again, 35-34. Edward Little called a timeout before bringing the ball up, but got to midcourt and had to burn their last timeout after getting caught in Brunswick’s suffocating press defense with 55 seconds remaining.

Edward Little turned to Perry.

“Jade shot lights out and we needed that,” Edward Little coach Chris Cifelli said. “She made some key baskets, too. There were a couple of times that the well was dry for us and she was able to get a key basket to either keep the lead or pull away a little bit.”

Perry got a pass and drove the lane, hitting a floater with just over 20 seconds left on the clock to give the Eddies the late lead. Brunswick never folded, they had seen it all this season during their undefeated run.

“It was all going to come down to determination, heart and hustle,” Brunswick coach Sam Farrell said. “In the fourth quarter, they put it all together.”

The Dragons brought the ball up and got a clean pass inside by way of a screen at midcourt that took Grace Fontaine out of the play. The Dragons’ first offering missed, but Sabrina Armstrong got the offensive rebound and passed out to MacMillan, who drained the jumper to take the lead.

Perry launched a three on the other end but it rimmed out, giving Brunswick the win.

“The last shot came off a rebound and that tells you it’s not skill, it’s heart and who wants the ball,” Farrell said. “Sabrina fought for the ball and hits MacMillan who has been clutch all year.”

The game was fast-paced throughout. Edward Little ran out to an early lead, opening the game on a 15-4 run, including eight points from Perry on 4-for-4 shooting. Perry also had a couple of blocks, rebounds and steals to round out her impressive night.

“Another thing she did well was she rebounded,” Cifelli said. “I was pleased with the defensive effort in all honesty. We got a team that has been scoring in the 50s and 60s and held them under 40. There’s nothing else I can ask from the kids it gives us a shot.”

In the second, Fontaine hit a 3 and also got a steal at midcourt and an easy layup, contributing to Edward Little’s 21-14 halftime lead. Brunswick kept grinding.

“For the past four years that I’ve been here, (Farrell) has harped on defense,” Armstrong said. “He said I didn’t know how to play basketball because I didn’t know how to play defense right. That’s definitely something we go through in practice a lot.”

Armstrong and Groat led the Dragons in the third, keeping the deficit at seven. Their focus was something that Armstrong and the team had preached all week, and it paid off Tuesday night.

“This is huge,” Farrell said. “They’re so quick and we haven’t played a team this quick and this disciplined in a long time. It’s great momentum… It’s huge for the confidence and it shows the bench, the kids who might get some extra playing time, what a playoff atmosphere is like because it felt like a playoff game in here.”

Piper Norcross of Edward Little High School gets an accidental finger in the eye during the third period of Tuesday’s game against Brunswick. (Daryn Slover/Sun Jourmal)

Chantel Ouellette of Edward Little High School passes to her teammate Grace Beaudet during the first period against Brunswick on Tuesday. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)