MILO- The Stearns Minutemen put three players in double figures on Saturday afternoon, and held off a late rally to pick a 50-47 Class C North boys basketball win over the Penquis Valley Patriots in a game played at Penquis Valley High School.
Penquis (6-8) ran off the first eight points of the game and had an early 10-2 lead. Stearns came back with a pair of baskets by Aidan Sanders, and one by Caleb Shearer to slice it to 10-8 at the end of the first eight minutes. The Minutemen took their first lead of the game when Elliot Shearer knocked in a three-pointer to start the second, finishing off a 9-0 run. The Patriots regained the lead for the remainder of the half on a bucket from LJ Shaw and held a slight one point advantage 24-23 at the break.
A huge 15-4 third quarter by Stearns helped give them some breathing room. With the score 28-28, a 10-0 run made it 38-28 Minutemen headed to the fourth with six of those points coming from Caden Raymond. The guests would have their biggest lead of 12 five times in the final period, but some untimely turnovers and missed shots let the hosts from Penquis sneak back into it late. A 9-0 spurt on 1-2 efforts from the foul line by Max Wells, Shaw, and Dylan McKenzie followed up by baskets from Shaw, Alvin Robshaw, and Shaw again trimmed it to the three point deficit with 10 seconds to go. The Patriots fouled Elliot Shearer with 1.4 seconds left. Shearer would miss the foul shot, but a desperation heave at the buzzer by Robshaw fell well short as Stearns hung on.
Raymond led Stearns (9-6) in the win with 14 points, four rebounds, and four steals. Elliot Shearer filled up the stat sheet with 11 points, six rebounds, seven steals, and two blocks. Shearer was named the Bangor Savings Bank Player of the Game. Sanders finished with 10 points, Ethan Plourde had eight points and seven rebounds, Caleb Shearer five points, two assists, and three steals, and Josh McNally also contributed two points. Penquis was led by Shaw who had 17 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists. Robshaw added 14 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Wells also got into double figures with 11 points and five rebounds. McKenzie chipped in three points and Nate Lovejoy had two points. The Patriots shot just 9-20 from the foul line in the game (5-14 in fourth quarter), while the Minutemen were 10-11 on the day. Both teams return to action Monday evening as Stearns will host Central, and Penquis visits Greenville.
STRNS (9-6) 8 15 15 12- 50
PENQS (6-8) 10 14 4 19- 47
STEARNS (50)
Raymond 3-8-14, E. Shearer 4-2-11, Sanders 5-0-10, Plourde 3-0-8, C. Shearer 2-0-5, McNally 1-0-2, Nice
Rebounds- 30
Free throws- 10-11
Three-pointers- Plourde 2, E. Shearer, C. Shearer
PENQUIS (47)
Shaw 6-5-17, Robshaw 6-2-14, Wells 5-1-11, McKenzie 1-1-3, Lovejoy 1-0-2, Sickler
Rebounds- 20
Free throws- 9-20
Three-pointers- none
Stearns guard Elliot Shearer had 11 points, six rebounds, seven steals, and two blocks in a 50-47 victory for the Minutemen over the Penquis Valley Patriots on Saturday, February 5, 2022 in Milo. Shearer was named the Bangor Savings Bank Player of the Game. Photo by Marc Calnan
