FARMINGTON – The Den honored Mt. Blue High School seniors playing their last home game Wednesday night, hosting the Skowhegan Indians. The Cougars have had a rough run thus far this season, but despite that are determined to hunt for wins.
“We’re looking for four consistent quarters,” Cougar Head Coach Brian Kelly said, enthusiastically. “We’ve had games all year when we’ve played three great quarters and struggled in a particular stretch,” Kelly added.
Kelly was hopeful his seniors would get the home sendoff they deserved with a more consistent game throughout.
The game started off with aggressive play, both teams driving into the paint and a lot of contested looks near the cup.
Skowhegan showed a little more patience early, working the ball around the perimeter before the Indians made their attack to the twine.
Early on, Mt. Blue senior Coop Hollingsworth went king cougar around the rim, gathering boards like he was building a deck. Hollingsworth picked up a few early fouls unfortunately and left the Cougars without their big cat in the first.
During this stretch, Skowhegan went on their run. Second chance points were plentiful for the Indians as they got offensive rebounds on a consistent basis.
Despite no natural big in the paint, Mt. Blue held on admirably through hustle and tight defense. Busy hands from seniors William Frederic and Makao Thomson harassed Skowhegan’s dribble and passing lanes.
Even with the Cougar defensive energy, Skowhegan had a constant attack on the offensive glass. What was a five-point lead for the Indians in the first quarter, bloomed into a 23-14 advantage when Hollingsworth checked back in.
The Cougars, down nine with 6:42 left in the half, went to work. James Anderson and Gerrett Renyolds, playing off the bench, provided the aforementioned consistency Coach Kelly sought. The Cougars drained treys in an offensive onslaught in the second frame.
Skowhegan seemed to have lost some of its patience, putting up some quick shots that helped Mt. Blue gain on their deficit. To end the half Anderson fired a spectacular one-handed bounce pass, through Indian traffic, giving the Cougars a tie at 31.
The third quarter got under way with similar smash mouth play from the first half. Tight defense was a constant, which helped the Cougars gain a 36-33 lead off a three-point splash from Frederic in the corner.
This was the biggest lead the Cougars would leap to late, as fatigue began to set in. The Indians, who had used more reserves earlier in the action, appeared to weather the weariness of exhaustion a bit better than the Cougars.
Skowhegan had chipped their lead to six, 45-39, at the end of three quarters.
The Indians appeared to have regained their patience to close out the third and start the fourth. They ballooned the lead to 12 with 5:21 left in the game, at which point the Cougars were faced with a flight or fight moment.
Rallying around their Coach, the Cougars decided on the latter.
Continuing the Cougar harassment on defense, Mt. Blue was able to cut the lead to six to the cheers from the crowd. The energy from the fans helped the Cougars find a second wind that made the final minutes exciting for those in attendance.
Skowhegan was able to maintain their composure through the Cougar blitz and full court press to hold on in the waning moments of the game. Free throws from desperation fouls ended the Cougars comeback and gave Skowhegan a 61-53 finish.
The Cougars (1-16) will finish up their season at Nokomis Regional high, Friday, Feb. 10.
