YORK, Maine – A common thread woven throughout the York High School boys basketball team’s three-game losing streak was an inability to close out quarters strong.
York changed that in a much-needed fashion against Marshwood on Saturday afternoon.
The Wildcats clawed back into contention at the end of the second and third quarters and emphatically put a stamp on their 68-56 Class A South victory at a packed Robert E. Butler Gymnasium with a 17-0 run during York’s 23-11 fourth quarter. York (7-3) defeated Marshwood, 63-37, last month on its way to a 6-0 start to the season.
“It’s something that we really haven’t done of late,” York coach Paul Marquis said. “Obviously there are a lot of nice things we’ve been doing and there are things were continuously working on. But we did a lot of good things at the end of quarters today.”
Sophomore forward Will MacDonald netted a game-high 18 points for York, while classmate Riley Linn added 14 points. Junior guard Chris Cummins scored seven of his 10 points in the fourth.
“We’re a deep team and we knew we had to show out for the fans and the students that came to the game,” MacDonald said. “We knew we were the better team in this situation. We had to show everyone who we really are, because the last three games we didn’t show who we really were. This is a turning point to get back on a streak.”
Marshwood (3-8) led 39-32 early in the third quarter following a hoop by Brandon Libby (12 points), before a dunk by Tim MacDonald sparked a 7-0 run that ended with a Linn 3-point play to tie the game at 39-39. Alex Nickerson converted steal to send the teams into the fourth tied at 45-45.
Kyle Williams sank a 3-pointer to begin the fourth, and the Hawks led 49-45—when Cummins commenced Marshwood’s derailment.
Cummins followed his 3-pointer with consecutive steals and layups, and added pass to his brother Brady in transition for a hoop to give the Wildcats a 54-49 lead midway through the fourth.
“We started out kind of slow, but we kept our composure and tired them out until the fourth quarter and then we hit them,” Chris Cummins said. “We just turned it up in the fourth quarter; it really started to hit us. Last time we beat this team by a lot. They got a little better, but we wanted to prove we were the better team.”
“He’s quick to the ball, gets to the rim and plays great defense,” Marquis said of Chris Cummins.
Linn and Nickerson extended the lead to 62-49, before Marshwood’s Cullen Casey ended over four minutes of futility with a pair of free throws with 1:30 remaining in the game.
“It’s about passion and I feel like most kids on our team have that—if not all the kids have that,” Will MacDonald said. “This game showed us who we are.”
York carried a 10-9 lead into the second quarter, before a 10-0 run left the Hawks with a 21-15 lead midway through the second. Ian Bryant (15 points) and Sam Aiguier hit 3-pointers to give Marshwood a 30-22 lead, when Will MacDonald followed his 3-pointer with a 3-point play. The Hawks led 32-28 at halftime.
“We were up four with five minutes to go; that’s been our story all year,” Marshwood coach Lewis Atkins said. “I didn’t think we handled the end of the second and quarter situations well. Heading into the fourth, that came back to bite us.”
Both teams are back in action on Monday afternoon, as Marshwood hosts Class AA Bonny Eagle (4-4) and York visits Morse (1-8).
“We’re getting good production from a variety of people,” Marquis. “Guys are taking their turn and we’re trying to develop that team atmosphere. We’re getting there.”
YORK 68, MARSHWOOD 56
MARSHWOOD (58)
Aiguier 3-0-8, Casey 3-2-8, Perry 0-5-5, Bryant 6-0-15, Williams 1-1-4, Libby 5-2-12, Parmley 2-0-4. Totals: 20-10-56.
YORK (68)
Linn 6-1-14, Johnston 0-0-0, Zinkevicz 1-2-4, Nickerson 3-1-7, C. Cummins 4-1-10, W. MacDonald 4-8-18, T. MacDonald 4-0-9, B. Cummins 3-0-6, Coughlin 0-0-0. Totals: 25-13-68.
Marshwood 9 23 13 11--56
York 10 18 17 23--68
3-Point Goals—Marshwood 6 (Bryant 3, Aiguier 2, Williams); York 5 (W. MacDonald 2, C. Cummins, Linn, T. MacDonald).