The Penobscot Valley boys basketball team came into a packed gym in Lincoln on Tuesday night on Senior Recognition Night for Mattanawcook Academy. Needing a big win in order to improve their chances of solidifying a postseason spot, the Howlers were able to do just that securing a key 58-48 Class C victory.
Senior reserve Joe Vicaire was the story in the first quarter, as he was the lone Lynx player recognized on their young team. He came out scorching, connecting on three 3’s and scoring 11 points while helping Mattanawcook build an early 14-5 lead. PVHS was able to weather the storm however, led by nine first quarter points from Caleb Moon (three 3’s of his own) as they stayed within striking distance 20-15 after one. The second quarter was all Penobscot Valley, as they tightened up their defense and allowed only two Mattanawcook points in the next eight minutes of play. Meanwhile, the Howlers received scoring from six different players in the frame, working the ball inside scoring 14 points and heading into the locker room with a 29-22 lead.
Penobscot Valley was able to extend that lead in the third, courtesy of a strong quarter by Kaden Loring who scored eight of his teams 14 to help build a 13 point advantage. James Trott and Avery Jordan had some key buckets during the quarter to keep Mattanawcook in the game. In the fourth, the Lynx connected on a pair of three-pointers by Jordan and Andrew Oliver, and converted a few offensive rebound put-backs en route to a strong 18-point quarter but it wasn’t enough. Playing from behind and forced to foul led to the Howlers knocking down nine free throws to secure, seven of which came from senior point guard Colin Dunn.
With the win, the Howlers improved to 7-8 after overcoming a bumpy 1-4 start to the season. In a busy week, PVHS will host Lee Academy on Thursday and travel to Woodland on Saturday. They had great balance with their scoring Tuesday, with all five starters netting at least eight points. Scoring leaders were Dunn (15), Moon (14 including four 3’s), Loring (12), Colin Harding (8), Ryan Dawson (8), and Chase Osgood (1).
For Mattanawcook Academy, it was only their fourth loss of the season as they dropped to 12-4 and will travel to George Stevens Academy on Saturday. Senior Vicaire was the high scorer for the Lynx with 11, while other scorers included Trott (10), Jordan (10), Oliver (6), Kooper McCarthy (6), and True Weatherbee (5).
Edited and posted by Chris Lessner/Information provided by Jeremy Durost
Photos are courtesy of Feldmus Photography of a recent PVHS game against PCHS. Top- Caleb Moon, Bottom- Kaden Loring
