At Howland, a post-up basket by Owen Wyman with 1:24 remaining broke a 40-40 tie and proved to be the game-winner as the visiting Schenck Wolverines held on to top the PVHS Howlers 44-41 on Tuesday night.
The past few years have seen some hard-fought and close battles with these traditional rivals, and Tuesday was no exception. Schenck jumped out to an early 8-2 lead, before PVHS closed the gap to two before the turn of the quarter. The Howlers used balanced scoring in the second to go into the locker room with a 23-19 lead.
An 11-2 Wolverine run to start the third quarter allowed the visitors to hold a five point lead, which was the largest of the second half. Penobscot Valley would tie it late in the game off a Caleb Moon 3-pointer, but the Wyman layup and a Brayden Osbourne free throw proved to be the difference. Two late three-point attempts to try to tie it by the home team missed the mark.
Schenck was led by Gavin Gagnon, who finished with a team-high 12 points. Mason McDunnah and Gage Brown scored eight apiece, Osbourne had seven, and Wyman six. Gabe Whitehouse and Brady McAvoy rounded out the scoring with two and one points respectively. The Wolverines sit 1-0, and will travel to face Bangor Christian in a battle of two of the early-season favorites in Class D North on Thursday.
PVHS drops to 1-1 and will host Mattanawcook Academy on Thursday. Sophomore Ryan Dawson finished with a career and game-high 14 points, including four 3-pointers. Colin Harding put in nine points on the evening, while other scorers included Kaden Loring (6), Colin Dunn (6), Moon (3), and Noah Austin (3).
