FREEPORT — Freeport prevailed in a boys high school basketball matchup that saw four lead changes and plenty of momentum swings.
The Falcons defended their home floor for a 49-44 victory Saturday against a Mt. Ararat Eagles squad that came in winners of five of their last six games.
The Falcons erased a six-point deficit going into the fourth quarter, outscoring the Eagles 14-3 in the fourth to win the non-conference clash. Freeport went 10-for-16 from the free-throw line in the final quarter to bounce back from a Thursday loss to Greely.
“That was nice because the other day against Greely we didn’t shoot our free throws well,” said Falcons coach Bill Ridge. “It’s nice to have that confidence moving forward.”
Mt. Ararat jumped out to an early lead as the Falcons struggled to contain 6-foot-8 center Jared Balser, who was responsible for eight of the Eagles’ 13 points in the first quarter after opening the scoring with an easy layup inside. Balser added a pair at the free-throw line, keeping a play alive by picking up the rebound on an Austin Damon miss and drawing the foul.
Freeport missed on its first three field goal chances of the quarter and shot 4-for-10 over the opening eight minutes. Gabe Warner got the Falcon offense started, driving to the hoop for two and drawing a foul to add a third. Nathan Taylor came off the bench and knocked down a trey to answer for the Eagles, who took a 13-9 lead after one quarter.
“We had to change it up a little bit,” said Ridge. “Obviously they were picking us apart early on. (Balser) did a really nice job, they went through him a lot.”
Freeport’s offense started to find a rhythm in the second quarter as Charlie Ngoal knocked down a pair of jumpers. Balser responded with a bucket inside on the other end before leaving the game after a scary fall two minutes into the quarter. The Eagle center attempted to block a shot but was knocked off-balance in the air, falling on his hip. He returned to the game in the second half.
“He’s kind of been our lead guy this year,” said Mt. Ararat coach David Dubreuil. “We lean on him heavily. Hurting his hip was a setback. He still was in pain after, but they did a great job of shutting him down and putting pressure on us and not allowing us to get him the ball.”
Wagner ignited the Freeport offense midway through the quarter after a steal and one-handed dunk in transition. He finished the half with eight points towards his game-high 19.
“It can be even a slight momentum change that gets everyone in it,” said Wagner. “The whole team gets hyped and then it just creates a lot more pressure for the other team.”
Kaleb Barrett and Alex Helie each knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Falcons a 26-23 lead at the half. Damon paced the Eagles with six of their 10 points in the second quarter.
Eagles rally
Mt. Ararat opened the second half with its best offensive quarter of the game. The Eagles found success outside, as Damon opened the scoring with a deep trey. Will Kavanaugh and Sean Roberts also hit from beyond the arc as Mt. Ararat went on an 11-6 run to regain a two-point lead, 34-32.
The Eagles stretched the lead late in the quarter as Damon picked off a pass at midcourt and was fouled making a layup. It resulted in a three-point play, with the Eagles taking a 41-35 lead into the fourth.
“Our guys work,” said Dubreuil. “When we play playoff-rated teams we tend to always rise to the challenge and we play at our opponents level.”
Freeport turned up the full-court pressure on Mt. Ararat in the game’s final quarter and it paid off. The Eagles were limited to eight field-goal attempts and three points down the stretch. Wagner capitalized off a turnover for another transition layup. A Kavanaugh floater was the lone field goal for the Eagles in the fourth.
Holding on to a 44-43 lead, Mt. Ararat took a timeout with 2:03 left to play, but foul trouble led to the Falcons closing out the game at the line. Six-for-10 shooting at the line in the game’s final two minutes was enough for the Freeport to take the 49-44 victory.
“I need to do a better job of getting our guys prepared for that type of pressure and to make better decisions with the ball,” said Dubreuil. “Overall I’m very pleased. We just need to find a way to get that done.”
“That second half especially we just tried to put a lot of pressure on them defensively just to get those transition points,” said Wagner. “I think roughly during practice we all take at least 20 free throws, maybe even more to make sure we hit those.”
Freeport improved to 8-2 and will return to Western Maine Conference play at home Tuesday against Cape Elizabeth (7 p.m.). Wagner led the Falcons with his 19 points, while Barrett chipped in eight.
Mt, Ararat, 5-6, will also get back to conference play against Kennebec Valley Conference opponent Lincoln Academy Thursday (7 p.m.). Damon led the Eagles with 15 points and Balser finished with 14.
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