Penobscot Valley’s Elijah Wood came into Saturday night’s game versus Lee averaging 20 points per game in the young season, and he matched that number leading the Howlers to the 60-40 victory against a scrappy Panda team.
Wood came out on fire early, hitting 3 three-pointers en-route to 13 points in the first quarter, as PVHS jumped out to a 19-13 lead. Sophomore Eain Allard kept Lee in the game with seven early points. Penobscot Valley extended their lead in the second quarter to 10, led by Reece Carter (6 points) and Bradon Blish (5 points), as they held a 35-25 halftime lead.
The pace of play slowed down in the 3rd, with the Howlers only scoring nine points and Lee with five, as PVHS stretched the lead to 14 points. In the fourth quarter, things got a little interesting with just under five minutes to play, as Penobscot Valley had a 15 point lead. Lee Academy’s Willy Hsu stole the ball and took it the hoop for the basket and was intentionally fouled. He made two free throws and they got the ball back (resulting from the intentional foul), where Hsu proceeded to hit a deep three pointer, capping a quick 7-point swing and cutting the lead to 8. PVHS regained their composure, as they went 7-7 on free throws in the quarter.
Wood, who shot an efficient 8 for 9 from the field (including 3-3 from 3-point distance) finished with 20 points on the night, while Carter, Blish, and Alex Tash scored 12, 9, and 8. Willy Hsu scored all of Lee’s 15 points in the second half, finishing with 18 for the game. Eain Allard had 9, while Randy McLeod scored 8.
Penobscot Valley improves to 2-1 and will host Penquis on Tuesday, while Lee Academy slips to 1-2 and will be home against Stearns on Saturday.
