BRUNSWICK — It was a night of celebration.
A familiar face for Morse High School boys basketball, Tom Maines, returned to the bench, looking to resurrect a Shipbuilder squad that has struggled the past couple seasons.
Though Morse showed glimpses of solid play, the ’Builders fell to rival Brunswick Friday night, with the host Dragons capturing a 76-56 Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference win.
For Brunswick, it was the combination of the one-two punch of seniors Noah Cox and Finn Mitchell that took the starch out of Maines’ return, with the duo combining for 55 points for the Dragons. Defensively, Brunswick (1-0) forced 29 Morse (0-1) turnovers and kept the visitors at an arm’s length, maintaining a double-digit lead after a solid second quarter.
Morse’s Gabe Aucoin (23) drives to the basket past Brunswick’s Cam Dunton during Friday night’s KVAC boys basketball game at Brunswick. Aucoin led the Shipbuilders with 18 points, but Morse fell to the Dragons, 76-56. (Bob Conn / The Times Record)
The opening quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with the Dragons owning a slim 19-15 lead thanks to 10 points from Mitchell and seven from Cox. Morse stayed close as Gabe Aucoin scored eight points and Tom Warren five.
“Going in with an inexperienced team, we wanted to survive the first eight minutes of our home opener,” said Brunswick coach Todd Hanson. “It is a great rivalry, and with the excitement of Coach Maines coming back, I knew those first eight minutes was a time to survive it. I thought we got our legs after that, playing defense and executing. Opening with a 20-point win, I’ll take that every year.”
The second quarter turned the tide in favor of the Dragons. Cox added 10 more points, while the Dragons forced 11 Morse turnovers, claiming a 41-24 halftime lead. Cox had 17 points, with Mitchell chipping in 15 as Brunswick shot 42 percent (15-of-35) from the field and held the Shipbuilders to just 29 percent (7-of-24).
Loss of voice
More than anything, Maines wants to teach his young Shipbuilders. However, the loss of his voice prior to Friday’s contest kept the normally vocal coach from giving his team direction in the heat of the battle.
“I enjoy it, but I’m frustrated that I can’t communicate with the kids on the bench during the game,” said Maines. “We were missing two key players, and that hurt.”
Still, Morse had its chances to get back into the game. An 8-3 run to open the second half brought the Shipbuilders to 43-32. But, the Dragons used a quick 6-0 spurt to retake control, with Brunswick holding a 56-40 edge after 24 minutes. Cox and Mitchell continued to score for the Dragons, combining for 13 points in the third quarter.
“We played hard and executed our offense,” Mitchell said. “They went on runs, but we just kept playing the same way. We limited the turnovers and played smart. We are supposed to win, so the pressure was on us.”
“What stood out to me is Finn is a good offensive talent and tonight he guarded Tom Warren,” said Hanson. “He didn’t come out of the game very much and gave it all he had on both ends.”
Morse had one more run left, as Warren swished a trey to make for a 64-51 game with 5:12 remaining. However, Mitchell answered for Brunswick, closing with eight fourth-quarter points and 27 points in all.
Hanson was excited to see Maines back on the Morse bench.
“I think it’s great for Maine high school basketball,” said the Brunswick coach, whose Dragons host “Battle of the Bridge” rival Mt. Ararat Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. “When I was in high school, here was a coach that was establishing his tradition and culture of hard work and tough man-to-man defense. To see him on the other sideline was really special.”
For Maines, it is about his ’Builders getting back to work.
“We learn and get ready for the next game,” said Maines, whose squad heads to Lincoln Academy on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
Brunswick was hot from the field in the second half, going 14-of-22 (63 percent) to finish at 51 percent (29-of-57) for the game. The Dragons were 13-of-18 from the free-throw line and held a 33-25 edge in rebounding.
Cox had a game-high 28 points in the win and added five rebounds, three steals and three assists. Evan Kilfoil came off the Brunswick bench and pulled down five rebounds and blocked a pair of Morse shots. Aidan Mitchell (seven points) and Tony Cilea (six points) also had solid outings.
Aucoin paced Morse with 18 points, while Warren added 16 points, eight rebounds, four steals and two assists. Corey Larmon came off the bench to score eight points. Morse was 17-of-50 (34 percent) from the floor and 16-of-30 from the charity stripe.
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