FARMINGTON- The Mt. Blue High School boys basketball team poured in 73 points in their strong win over Gardiner Area High School, defeating the Tigers 73-51.
The game kicked off with two back-to-back threes by star senior duo Zach Poisson and Chandler Briggs, placing the Cougars quickly ahead in the contest. The team never looked back, leading 15-0 before Gardiner’s first point. At the end of the first quarter, the squad led 26-4.
The second quarter was far less lopsided, with Gardiner outscoring Mt. Blue 18-16, leading to a halftime score of 42-22. Mt. Blue began strong, netting two more baskets to make it 30-4 before Gardiner began chipping away at the deficit. Several turnovers and key baskets by the Tigers led to a more evening quarter.
The third quarter started off with senior forward Zac Koban finishing a layup off of a tricky pass from Poisson. Mt. Blue began applying pressure on the Gardiner guards, with steals from junior guard Evans Sterling leading to quick transitional points. The zone defense applied by Gardiner was broken down repeatedly by Mt. Blue, as their quick passes and strong ball movement weakened the strength of the defense. Gardiner stuck around, with the two squads scoring 16 a piece in the quarter, making the score 58-38 after three.
The fourth quarter began with Sterling getting an offensive rebound, drew a foul and made the shot. Gardiner’s shift to a man to man defense did not hinder Mt. Blue’s offensive attack, with the team taking down the visitors 73-51.
Leading the scoring was Mt. Blue’s senior guard Zach Poisson, who netted 24 points in the victory. Poisson shot a perfect 4 for 4 from the 3 point line in the first half. Adding to the offensive attack was Sterling with 14 points and senior guard Chandler Briggs with 12. The Tigers were led by Colby Moody with 11 points, Cody Dingwell with 8, and Brady Davidson with 6.
The crew will face rival Skowhegan High School on Jan. 23. Tip off is at 7:00 p.m. at Skowhegan.
The game was recorded by Mt. Blue TV and is available for viewing on MtBlueTV.org
