Leavitt freshman guard Emma Chaisson (13) dribbles between Brunswick defenders Marley Groat (11) and Charlotte MacMillan (2) during Thursday’s game in Brunswick. (Times Record photo by Bob Conn)
BRUNSWICK — When senior point guard Marley Groat was out of the lineup, the Brunswick offense struggled to find a consistent rhythm.
Since her return, the Dragons have been running on all cylinders.
Brunswick reeled off 26 first-quarter points and never looked back, rolling to a 69-24 Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference girls’ basketball win over Leavitt on Thursday.
The Dragons are 9-1 with a visit to Lawrence slated for Tuesday (6:30 p.m.).
Groat and the cast of Charlotte MacMillan, Emily Larochelle, Rosalie White and Logan Brown were solid from the start, with MacMillan and Brown nailing a 3-pointer each off assists from Groat and Larochelle, respectively. Leading 8-4 after four free throws by Leavitt’s Taylor White (four points, eight rebounds, four blocked shots, three steals), Brunswick then reeled off the next 15 points for a 23-4 lead.
“We played together. Every kid that was open got the ball and shots happened to go in tonight,” Brunswick coach Sam Farrell said. “They really love playing together. There is such chemistry. Over the past few weeks we were missing a player due to injury or a death in the family. They just love being together.”
“We played much better tonight than we had been playing,” said Larochelle, who finished with 11 points, five steals and four assists. “We were connecting as a team despite not practicing the last two days. When five of us are rebounding, shooting, making that one extra pass, we as a group are strong. We are able to find that better shot.”
And those shots were falling like crazy.
“Brunswick shot lights out. Everything they shot went in. They are a good team,” said Leavitt coach Dave Gerrish, who has perhaps one of the youngest teams in Maine, with no seniors and just three juniors. “We play hard, and I have been on both sides of this. It is about playing basketball and trying to improve.”
MacMillan and Brown were the scoring leaders for the Dragons in the first half — MacMillan hitting five treys for 15 points and Brown chipping in 13. The Brunswick defense forced 18 Leavitt (3-6) turnovers through 16 minutes, and the Hornets made just 3-of-22 shots from the field as the hosts carried a 39-12 advantage into the intermission.
Farrell brought back his starting five to begin the third quarter and the Dragons didn’t miss a beat. Brown tallied the first five points for a 44-12 lead, and MacMillan picked up her final four points.
Meanwhile, Groat continued to run the show. She dished out five assists and helped to force several steals.
“Emily gets every rebound, deflections, and Marley runs the show and has her hands on everything. Even if she doesn’t get the steal, she might force a steal,” Farrell said. “The kids really value all the extra work. From freshman to senior, every kid that comes in is making plays for us.”
Leavitt continued to work hard. Freshman Emma Chaisson battled the bigger Dragons and pulled down five rebounds while dishing out a pair of assists, and sophomore Alison Nonewicz had a team-high seven points. Junior McKenna Redstone added five rebounds as the Hornets held a slight 32-27 edge on the boards.
“We did a better job of it in the fourth quarter,” Gerrish said. “Win or lose, you just go back in the gym and try to improve.”
“Every kid that went in for them worked their butts off,” Farrell said of the Hornets. “They never got down, never any quit. (Gerrish) knows they are building.”
Farrell went exclusively to his bench in the fourth quarter. Morgan Foster hit Brunswick’s 11th and final 3-pointer, and Kelsey Sullivan worked in the paint for five points. MacKenzie Door chipped in three steals.
Brown paced the Dragons with 20 points, while MacMillan tallied 19 points, seven steals and six assists. White pulled in five rebounds and made three steals.
Leavitt’s McKenna Redstone (12) tries to get past Brunswick’s Marley Groat (11) during Thursday’s KVAC girls’ basketball game at Brunswick. Groat and the Dragons improved to 9-1 with a 69-24 victory. (Times Record photo by Bob Conn)
Leavitt’s Taylor White, center, battles with Brunswick’s Charlotte MacMillan during Thursday’s KVAC girls’ basketball game in Brunswick. The Dragons rolled to a 69-24 win. (Times Record photo by Bob Conn)
Brunswick’s Morgan Foster, left, and Leavitt’s Katie Blouin (24) battle for possession in Thursday’s KVAC girls’ basketball game. (Times Record photo by Bob Conn)
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