BATH — Cam Dunlop poured in a game-high 38 points as Morse defeated Edward Little 60-46 in a high school Unified tournament preliminary basketball game at Bath Middle School on Wednesday.
The eighth-seeded Shipbuilders (6-3) will advance to face Gray-New Gloucester on Thursday in the next round. No 9. Edward Little finished it’s season at 5-4.
“It’s good to see these kids go to the next level, they’ve worked so hard to achieve this,” Morse coach Becky Roak said. “This was a big deal to them, they knew the stakes.”
Dunlop’s 38 points was a career high at any level said the freshman.
“I’ve never scored this many points in a game,” Dunlop said. “My teammates did such a great job getting me the ball.”
Dunlop and team had a game on their hands in the first half against the team from EL.
The Red Eddies took an early 8-5 lead with baskets from George Kampstra, Gage Cloutier and Simon Hayes.
“It’s great to see the kids come out here and work together between the team and their partners,” Sandy Whiting, who co-coaches the EL squad with Elaine Derosby, said. “Friendships have been created.”
The Shipbuilders then went on a 14-2 run, led by the offense of Dunlop and center Keegan Companion.
“He is such a quick player who knows the game,” Roak said of Dunlop. “And our size underneath gives us a big advantage that we will need to utilize during these (playoff) games.”
Trailing by 11, the Red Eddies went on a run, paced by the strong rebounding underneath the offensive glass by Hayes, while grabbing points from Cloutier in the process.
EL cut the deficit to 21-18 late in the first half, but Morse held its composure.
After the teams traded baskets, the Shipbuilders went on a 10-0 run to close the half with a 35-20 lead.
Dunlop paced all scorers with 17 first-half points, followed by Companion’s 10. Cloutier led EL with 10 points, followed by six from Kampstra.
“Our kids finished strong to end the half,” Roak added.
Morse pulls away
Dunlop opened the second half, scoring Morse’s first eight points to extend the lead to 43-20 before EL’s Nick Gagne stopped the run with a basket.
“It was important for us to score points,” Dunlop said. “We didn’t want to lose today.”
Dunlop continued to hit the bottom of the net, and a 3-point basket at the 12-minute mark, followed by a Michael Laser jumpshot gave the “Builders a 52-28 lead.
“I know I can make those shots and if I get a good chance, I know I can make it,” Dunlop said.
As the clock ticked down, the home team was able to put away the Red Eddies, keeping them at an arms length for the victory.
Cloutier led the visitors with 21 points, leaving it all on the court in his final game as a senior.
“I’m going to miss this, I always go out and do the best that I can for my teammates,” said the senior.
“We have some seniors that we’re going to miss,” Whiting said. “They have done a lot four our program here and they’ll be missed.”
Following Cloutier’s 21, Hayes registered 15 points, while Kampstra finished with six and Melody Mata and Gagne split four points evenly.
Dunlop added four rebounds and four steals to his 38 points. Companion finished with 12 points, while grabbing 10 rebounds.
Chelsey Boucher, Isaas Smith, Anthony Pelletier, Zoe Walk er and Laser each scored two points apiece in the victory for Morse.
EL’s Gage Cloutier (21) and Simon Hayes (23) go for the block of Morse’s Keegan Companion (35) during Wednesday’s Unified preliminary basketball game at Bath Middle School. Times Record Photo by Eric Maxim
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