Ben Williams scored 10 of his game-high 27 points in the second quarter as Deering outscored Sanford 20-9 to take charge and go on to beat the Spartans 67-38 in an SMAA boys’ basketball game Tuesday night at Deering.
It took Deering (4-0) half a quarter to get into its running game, but once the Rams did, the game turned quickly in the their favor.
Sanford (1-3) jumped to a 7-2 lead before Deering went on an 11-0 run. The Rams led 19-12 after one quarter.
Deering’s half-court, trapping zone press caused numerous turnovers that resulted in layups.
“We got off to a slow start,” said Williams. “Once we started running, we turned it around. We’re at our best when we keep the pace at a high level. We still have a long way to go. Everyone is working hard in practice everyday. This team is deep and everyone has accepted their roles.”
The Rams led 39-21 at halftime as Williams had 16 points. As he showed last season, Williams scores most of his points with strong drives to the basket or rebound follows. Williams scored all 13 of his baskets against the Spartans that way.
“I’m not going to do something I’m not capable of doing,” said Williams.
Sanford played a nice third quarter and had a 12-6 scoring edge with time winding down in the quarter when Manny Chikuta of Deering banked one off the backboard from the side for a 3-pointer as time expired.
“You can’t make any mistakes against Deering because they can go on spurts,” said Sanford Coach Paul Nolette. “They play so hard and they’re quick and aggressive.
“Deering makes you play at a speed you’re not comfortable with. Unless you’re a veteran team and can handle it, it’s tough to handle. Plus, we’re young. I start a freshman and two sophomores come off the bench. We came out and played a good third quarter. We did a lot of good things. You have to play a full 32 minutes against Deering, one of the best teams in the state.”
Still, the Spartans had a chance to cut it to nine points in the third.
“We had a player wide open under the basket,” said Nolette. “We got the ball on the rebound and in hurrying to throw the ball downcourt, he traveled.”
Deering then pulled away for good by outscoring Sanford 19-5 in the fourth quarter. Williams added nine points in the fourth.
In its first three games, Deering averaged 87.3 points a game. Deering plays at Bangor on Saturday afternoon. Both teams are in Class AA North.
“We used some different looks to speed up the game,” said Deering Coach Todd Wing. “Our half-court press was one of those.”
Sanford hit some early 3-pointers, but were off the mark from beyond the arc for most of the game.
Deering, with its height advantage, grabbed the rebounds and headed down the floor.
“When Ben Williams, who plays all out all the time, asks for a breather we know we’re doing something right. I like where the team is at. We’re establishing roles and embracing those roles,” said Wing.
Anthony Lobor played well inside for Deering and added nine points. Max Chabot and Chikuta chipped in with eight points apiece.
Frank Veino led Sanford with 13 points.
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