Lake Region 61
Gray-New Gloucester 48
Matt Langadas’ one-handed dunk on a fast break followed soon after by a 3-pointer by Kevin Gilson in the waning seconds put the exclamation point on an impressive opening quarter for Lake Region against Gray-New Gloucester.
The Lakers were outscored by a point over the next three quarters, but the early cushion held up as Lake Region won 61-48 in Saturday’s Western Maine Conference boys basketball game against the Patriots in Gray. It was 16-2 after the first quarter.
Gilson made two of his four 3s in the first quarter and finished with a team-high 16 points. Lake Region’s full-court press was problematic for the Patriots, as the Lakers reeled off 18 straight points after Gray-New Gloucester took a quick 2-0 lead on a basket by Taylor Valente.
The big early advantage is not something the Lakers are accustomed to. While returning a number of players with varsity experience, they are a relatively young squad.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve looked at a scoreboard and been up 16, 18, 20 points,” said Lake Region coach Mike Francoeur. “I just don’t think we know how to play just yet with that type of lead.”
The Patriots got going a bit in the second quarter. Josh Farynaz’s 3 in the first minute broke the 18-0 Lake Region run. Kokou Noulilo scored five straight points to make it 21-10 two minutes in. The teams each scored 14 points in the quarter and the Lakers led 30-16 entering the half.
“I think we just came out a little flat,” said Gray-New Gloucester coach Scott Flagg. “Just getting into the flow of the game was the big difference there. At halftime we made some adjustments with the way we were breaking their press and with our offense in the half court, and that definitely helped.”
Lake Region extended its lead to 20 points just over two minutes into the third quarter after four straight points from Zach Tomkinson, who finished with 15 points. But the Patriots battled back in the fourth, closing to within 11 at 52-41 on a 3-pointer from Evan Kenney, who had 10 points. But a 3 from Tomkinson followed by a steal by Derek Mayo and two free throws by Phil Leighton (14 points) pushed the Lakers’ lead back to 57-41 with 3:32 to go.
Farynaz led the Patriots with 16 points, 13 coming in the second half. Cody Humphrey added 11.
While Francoeur preferred his team’s first-half intensity to what he saw in the second half, he’s been pleased with the start to the season.
“I’m certainly excited to be 3-0, to be playing on a Saturday afternoon and to get out of here with a win, that’s for sure,” he said after the game. The Lakers improved to 4-0 on Tuesday with a 71-31 win over Poland. They were scheduled to face Yarmouth on Thursday in a game played after the Lake Region Weekly’s deadline, then host Cape Elizabeth, the defending Class B West champion, on Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Patriots started the season with a win over Freeport, but after falling at Yarmouth 62-38 on Tuesday, they stand at 1-3. They were slated to play St. Dom’s on Thursday then travel to Wells on Friday for a 7 p.m. game. After a difficult early schedule, they should find wins a bit easier to come by over the next several games.
“I think if we keep coming together and keep working hard, we can certainly be a playoff team,” Flagg said. “That’s our goal.”
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