George Stevens Academy sophomore David Gadsby takes on Deer Isle-Stonington defender Myles Brown during a game in Blue Hill on January 30. By Monique Labbe
Blue Hill—The noise in the George Stevens Academy gym was deafening as the Eagles defeated the Deer Isle-Stonington High School Mariners, 55-48, in an overtime contest on January 30.
The game was the second of the season between the two teams. The Eagles got the nine-point win in Deer Isle in the first game, which was the third-tightest margin of victory for the Eagles this season.
The first quarter featured several lead changes, with the Mariners pulling ahead with a lay-in from junior Nate Thompson with seven seconds left. Both teams scored 15 points in the second quarter, as DISHS took the slim 33-31 lead at the half.
The George Stevens Academy crowd cheers on the home team during a game against Deer Isle-Stonington High School in Blue Hill on January 30. By Monique Labbe
Sophomore David Gadsby took control of the first seconds of the second half for the Eagles, draining back-to-back three pointers to put GSA up 41-37 for the first time in the half. Junior Mike Moon extended that lead to 43-37, but junior Mariner Coleman Brown was fouled as time expired and knocked down two crucial free throws to cut the lead to four going into the fourth quarter.
Sophomore Dylan Thompson hit a jumper for the Mariners to close the gap to two points in the early seconds of the fourth quarter, which started a back-and-forth shootout that sent the crowd into a frenzy. With 2 minutes left in the quarter, senior Austin Snow hit a huge turnaround jump shot that gave the Eagles a three-point lead. With 19 seconds left, Thompson made a layup and got fouled, sending him to the line with a chance to tie the game at 48-48. Thompson drilled the free throw, and while the Eagles had an opportunity as time expired, the game went into overtime.
The GSA defense was too much for the Mariners in overtime, as the Eagles held DISHS scoreless to take the win.
The Eagles were led by Gadsby and senior Caden Mattson, with 19 and 16 points, respectively. Myles Brown paced the Mariners with 17 points, while Coleman Brown contributed 14 points.
The overtime win was the second in as many games for the Eagles, who were 15-1 after the victory. Despite a February 4 loss to Mattanawcook, the team remains in fourth place in the Class C North standings with less than a week before the start of the postseason. Should the standings stay in place, the Eagles will host a preliminary, loosely scheduled for February 12. The Eagles final regular season game was February 5 at Narraguagus (score not available by press time).
The Deer Isle-Stonington High School fans cheer on their team during a game in Blue Hill against George Stevens Academy on January 30. By Monique Labbe
The Mariners were 11-4 after the game, in seventh place in the Class D North standings. A February 1 loss to Greenville followed by a win over Searsport brings the team to 12-5 for the regular season. Should the team’s seventh place standing hold, the Mariners will find themselves with a bye into the quarterfinals, which will be played at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor during tournament week starting Saturday, February 14, for Class C and D teams.
Both the Mariners and Eagles made it to the Cross Center last season, with the Mariners losing in the quarterfinals and the Eagles falling in the regional finals.
Editor’s note: Jack Scott is on vacation. Scott’s Sports Spot will return next week.