Mariner Myles Brown beats his defender down the court during a prelim game against Machias at home on February 12. By Jack Scott
Deer Isle— The boys basketball team beat Machias in a dogfight 45-42. They say that three times is a charm, and it went right down to the wire for a win. We suffered from nerves in the first quarter, trailing 15-4 until Myles Brown hit a three-pointer. We closed the gap by the half to 26-22, but we never led in the first half. Machias used their height to rebound and to create an active zone defense.
We battled back to get the lead in the beginning of the fourth quarter on another Myles Brown three-pointer. We kept the lead from there, though it was never more than a couple points. We led 42-41 with 22 seconds left when Myles Brown made a conventional three-point play to give us a four point lead. We fouled a shooter with four seconds left and Coleman Brown got a big rebound on a missed foul shot to seal the win.
Myles Brown led us with 25 points with four three-pointers, Coleman Brown had nine and Nathan Thompson had five, all in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t pretty, but we did what we had to for the victory.
The Mariners will face Jonesport-Beals in a quarterfinal matchup on Saturday, February 16, at the Cross Insurance Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:05 p.m.