STANDISH – The third-place Bonny Eagle Scots hosted the fifth-place Blue Blazes of Westbrook Tuesday night. Both teams have demonstrated prowess on the court this season, beating other high-ranking squads, and when they met on Jan. 8, Westbrook’s margin of victory was narrow, only three points.
Tuesday’s rematch could have been a nail-biter. It could’ve been back-and-forth for 32 minutes, and only decided in the closing seconds. But the Blazes couldn’t dig deep enough, this time, to match their opponents’ intensity. Despite strong contributions by seniors Zach Bean, Dave Breunig and Alec Hazlewood, Westbrook fell behind early and were unable to regain the lost ground. Bonny Eagle had come out on fire, and in the end secured a 61-50 victory on knockout performances by sophomore Ben Malloy and junior Dustin Cole, who scored 36.
Bonny Eagle head coach Phil Bourassa credits his team’s principles, as well as their belief in themselves, for the win. “For a good little lull there, we weren’t making shots,” he said. “And the kids still keep believing they’re going to make the next shot, keep believing they’re going to make the next shot. That’s why, eventually, the next one goes in.”
It was the Scots’ second big victory this week, following Friday’s 59-58 win over Scarborough. They are now 14-3 heading into Thursday’s final regular-season game at Windham, good enough to stay in third place in Class A West, behind South Portland and Portland and tied with Deering.
The Blazes, who drop to 12-5, remain in fifth place and next face 6-11 Gorham at home on Friday.
The Blazes got on the board first, with senior Aaron Duncanson dropping an early three. But the Scots answered immediately, Malloy sinking a three of his own. Cole then began his stellar night of scoring, turning two steals in a mere 10 seconds into four quick points. Breunig drained a two to slow Westbrook’s bleeding, but Cole tallied five more in the next minute alone, widening the wound. Hazlewood interrupted, adding two for the Blazes, before Malloy splashed down a pair of threes.
“We’ve been starting games off flat,” Cole said, after the bout. “So we knew we had to come out with some kind of intensity.”
The Scots spent then two minutes snagging rebound after rebound off the backboard, though they couldn’t get the ball through the hoop. When Westbrook finally managed a steal, they couldn’t capitalize either, and the first quarter ended with Bonny Eagle on top, 18-7.
The Blazes came on harder in the second, holding the Scots to just six points – four by Cole, including two from the line, and two by senior Kyle Wright. But Westbrook only scored eight themselves, two by Breunig, two by Hazlewood and four by Bean. By halftime, they had shrunk Bonny Eagle’s lead, but only to 24-15.
Westbrook returned after the half looking stronger than they had all game. They tallied six, and held the Scots scoreless for nearly three minutes. Until, that is, Cole got thirsty again and drained a two. Thirty seconds later, moving fast under the net, he flung a hard pass practically backward, all the way out beyond the 3-point line and into the ready hands of Malloy, who swished the long basket.
“We knew we just had to keep shooting, keep the intensity up, and we couldn’t let them get back into it,” Cole said, echoing Bourassa’s sentiment.
Westbrook’s Keenan Lowe added two soon after, but Cole had a response prepared – namely, another two of his own. Bean then nailed a three from way downtown, but again the Scots parried, Malloy requiring only six seconds to sink his fifth three of the night. After three quarters, Westbrook had pulled a point closer, but were still down by eight, 34-26.
Cole struck first in the last quarter, knocking down a three. Malloy echoed with another long shot before Bean could counterargue with a three for the Blazes. For the next 60 seconds, however, Cole lived downtown, draining three 3-pointers in rapid succession. Westbrook secured a breather as Lowe went to the line, making both shots. He then sank another two before Bean also visited the line, going 2 for 2 as well. Bean and Malloy exchanged a few tense words, and until their teammates separated them, it looked as though a scuffle might break out.
Westbrook took to triple-teaming Cole in an attempt to smother his flame. The strategy backfired, however, when Cole managed to hurl the ball past all three defenders to an uncovered Scot far up court, where the remaining two Westbrook players couldn’t keep the ball out of the basket. So the Blazes instead began fouling Cole; he went to the line five times in the last two minutes, making all 10 shots. By the final buzzer, Bonny Eagle had edged further ahead for the 11-point win.
“This is huge,” Bourassa said of the win. “There’s a huge positioning battle, for the top five spots. Second to last game, and they beat us the first time, so this is a very big win for us. It’s a very good team, an incredibly well-coached team.”
Tuesday was senior night for Bonny Eagle’s 12th-graders, but despite having his last year of high school still ahead of him, Dustin is focusing on the here and now. “Just the next few games,” he said.
Westbrook’s Zach Bean plows into Bonny Eagle’s Dustin Cole on his way to the net Tuesday night.
Opening tip-off at the Bonny Eagle-Westbrook game Tuesday night.
Dustin Cole leaps into an easy layup Tuesday night.
Bonny Eagle’s Ben Malloy throws up a jump shot against Westbrook’s Keenan Lowe.
Bonny Eagle’s Dustin Cole arcs a shot toward the basket against Westbrook Tuesday night.
Westbrook’s Keenan Lowe fights in the air with Bonny Eagle’s Zach Dubiel Tuesday night.
Westbrook’s Alec Hazlewood shoots from the line.
Westbrook’s Zach Bean looks to pass past Bonny Eagle’s Dustin Cole Tuesday night.
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