At Howland Tuesday, the Penobscot Valley boys basketball team (PVHS) found themselves with two different deficits of four and six points late in the fourth quarter, but battled back to earn a 38-37 win over Schenck.
The Howlers shared the ball well early, as balanced scoring allowed them to jump out to a 14-7 first quarter lead. Gabe Castonguay led the way scoring five points in the frame, while Ryan Thompson, Andy Williams, and Gabe Reed netted four, three, and two respectively. Schenck turned up the defense in the second quarter, allowing only four points while scoring eight and climbing within three points before halftime at 18-15. Mason McDunnah had six points and Brady McAvoy four to help keep the Wolverines close.
Schenck had four players score a total of 10 points in the third quarter of this defensive battle, and took a 25-24 lead into the last period. In the fourth after Reed hit Thompson for a layup to take a brief Howler lead, the Wolverines stormed back with seven straight points all by McAvoy. PVHS took a timeout and responded with a three-pointer by Castonguay and a layup by Thompson. After two free throws by Kaden Hannan and another layup by Thompson, Hannan found Gabe Whitehouse all alone in the corner as he calmly knocked down a three, stretching the lead back up to four. Thompson hit two free throws to edge closer, then Williams nailed a deep three-pointer with just over a minute to go to give the Howlers a one point lead that would prove to be the games final scoring.
Penobscot Valley improved to 4-3 on the season, and will host PCHS on Thursday. They were led in scoring by Thompson who had 12, Castonguay and Williams had 10 each, and Reed finished with six points. Thompson also had 10 rebounds.
McAvoy had a game-high 15 points for the Wolverines, who dropped to 5-3. Other scorers include McDunnah with eight, Whitehouse with seven, Hannan with four, and Ryan Ingalls had three. Schenck will host Bangor Christian on Thursday.
