LISBON FALLS —Mt. Abram’s flat shooting and Lisbon’s unyielding defense opened the door to the Greyhounds’ fast-moving transition game in Thursday’s night’s boys basketball game.
The Roadrunners’s (10-6) frustration grew with each missed shot, but the Greyhounds (8-5) kept their cool and marched off with a 59-43 victory in a Mountain Valley Conference showdown.
Lisbon set the tone in the first quarter, jumping out to a 10-0 lead before the Roadrunners scored a point at 4:40. By halftime, and with Mt. Abram still struggling to find the net, the Greyhounds hammered out a 29-17 lead.
“We came in with a defensive strategy to just make sure we were switching on screens and not allowing guys to try to go middle,” Lisbon coach Jake Gentle said. “That didn’t happen for us very well in the second quarter. They kind of drove middle right there and that is why they had a bigger second quarter than the first quarter. But give them credit. They did a good of giving us ball fakes and getting inside on us.”
The Roadrunners’ cold shooting continued in the second half as the Greyhounds widened their lead.
Senior guard Corey Wiers wasn’t taking Mt. Abram for granted despite Lisbon’s comfy lead.
“They are really good; They have good guards, Wiers said. ” Adam Luce can run around and get crazy.”
Wiers said it was the ‘Hounds’ boundless energy, hitting shots and getting energy from those successful shots that fired up his team.
“We were able to keep it going until halftime,” said Wiers, who scored 13 points and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers. “(That energy) got most of shooters wide open and we were able to drive the ball. We went up to Mt. Abram and they killed us so it is good to have a win now.”
DJ Douglass scored a team-high 14 points for the Greyhounds and teammate Owen Fish had 10.
The level of Mt. Abram’s frustration grew and Roadrunners coach Dustin Zamboni had a few conversations with an official that drew a pair of technicals and getting him thrown out the game in the middle of the fourth quarter.
“Yup, they (technicals) were on me,” Zamboni said. “I asked the question and the official said that he does not have to answer to me, so I questioned that and then he gave me the technical….and made a few small comments from the bench, and he wasn’t OK with it.
“We have to bounce back. Like I told them, we can’t dwell on this loss. But we didn’t just have that competitive edge like we did the first game,” Zamboni said. “I thought they handled the ball very. Our pressure didn’t bother them too much. They shot well. We didn’t really battle hard to get rebounds.”
Mt. Abram’s Luce scored the game-high 15 points and Hunter Warren had 12.
“We just wanted to really concentrate on trying to get them one shot and out because we didn’t want to keep giving up offensive rebounds and giving a team like that more opportunities because they are pretty potent on offense,” Gentle said. “Offensively, I thought we really moved the ball well and looked to get the ball inside.”
Lisbon’s Corey Wiers (2) drives to the basket and knocks Hunter Warren (0) to the floor in Lisbon Falls on Thursday night. Tony Blasi/Sun Journal Buy this Photo
Mt. Abram’s Adam Luce (22) tries tries to stop Cameron Gilman (14) from taking a shot in a basketball in Lisbon Falls on Thursday evening, Tony Blasi/Sun Journa Buy this Photo
Lisbon’s Hunter Davis (5) drives past Mt. Abram’s Adam Luce (2) as Kenyon Pillsbury (4) closes in during a basketball game in Lisbon Falls on Thursday night. Tony Blasi/Sun Journa Buy this Photo
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