FREEPORT — Will Cox dominated the first quarter, Peter Psyhogeos excelled in the third and the Yarmouth boys’ basketball team never trailed in its 57-35 win Tuesday against Freeport.
Psyhogeos, a junior guard, led all scorers with 17 points and Cox, a senior guard, had nine points, seven steals, six rebounds and five assists for Yarmouth (4-1).
“This group of kids has bought in in a way we haven’t experienced yet,” said Clippers Coach Jonas Allen. “They’re unselfish and they understand that energy is the key and when you challenge them, they fully respond.”
Freeport, which swept the Clippers last season, are 2-3.
The first quarter was nearly perfect for the Clippers, who forced seven turnovers, and for Cox, who had seven points (despite missing a breakaway dunk), three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Cox’s contested, fadeaway jumper at the horn put Yarmouth up 15-2 and capped a 13-0 run.
“We came out ready,” Cox said. “It was a big game for us. We remember losing to them twice last year.”
Freeport responded in the second quarter. Behind a pair of 3-pointers from Blaine Cockburn it drew within six points, 24-18. Yarmouth answered when Psyhogeos drove for a layup and Matt Waeldner had a layup after a steal to push the Clippers’ advantage to 10 at the break.
Yarmouth started the second half as strongly as it did the first as Psyhogeos scored seven points and the Clippers went up by as many as 20.
“Pete just hit his shots,” Cox said. “I had faith knowing if I passed the ball to him that the ball would go in.”
A 3-pointer from Jackson Carr and a putback from Elias Thomas got the Falcons as close as 44-30 early in the fourth quarter, but Yarmouth gradually pulled away.
“Will and Pete are special players,” Allen said. “The two of them on the court give the other team problems. They work year-round on their games and they’re role models for the young kids in our town.”
Waeldner added eight points and had four steals for the Clippers.
Cockburn and Colby Arsenault each scored 10 points for Freeport.
“Yarmouth played hard,” said Falcons Coach Bill Ridge. “They’re well-coached and they executed good things. When we made adjustments, it took them a possession or two to adjust to that and continue their run. We just didn’t hit the shots we should have in the first quarter, but as the game wore on, you could sense the frustration starting to build.”
The teams play again Thursday night in Yarmouth.
“We want to beat them the second time around,” Ridge said. “We’ll make our adjustments and try again on Thursday.”
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