WATERBORO — The Massabesic boys basketball team capped off an impressive regular season by beating the visiting Sanford squad 70-36 while celebrating senior night Thursday.

Tyus Sprague-Ripley led the Mustangs with 19 points, 11 of which coming in the third quarter. Dan Amabile also added 10 points.

Sanford was led by Ethan Belanger with seven points scored.

Both teams began the game slow, with neither team able to establish an offensive rhythm. At the four-minute mark in the first quarter, the score was 4-2 in favor of Massabesic.

Massabesic coach Chris Binette felt Sanford’s defensive pressure was the cause of his team’s slow start.

“It was the defensive pressure, Paul (Nolette) had his kids prepared,” said Binette. “I think we were just feeling each other out and waiting for something to break.”

It was then that Amabile hit a deep 3- pointer, giving the Mustangs a 7-2 lead and shifting the momentum in favor of Massabesic.

The Mustangs closed out the first period strong with an 11-5 lead.

The second period was all Massabesic. Thanks to a heavy offensive attack, the Mustangs began by going on a 17-2 run, getting points from four different players and taking a big 28-7 lead, and later a 30-14 lead into the half.

The third period was the beginning of Sprague-Ripley’s offensive outburst.

Within the first two minutes, Sprague- Ripley tallied eight points, increasing the Massabesic lead to 40-18.

Binette was expecting Sprague-Ripley to have a big third quarter.

“We talked about him having a big third quarter. He picked it up in the last minute of the second quarter and I told him, ‘You’re going to have a lot of fun in the third,’” said Binette.

Sprague-Ripley credited his teammates for feeding him the ball and admitted that early foul trouble is what caused his quiet first half.

“The team was getting me the ball the whole game, but in the beginning I was in a bit of foul trouble and coach didn’t want that. But we just came out in the third and played well. The third quarter is our quarter,” said Sprague-Ripley.

The surge continued as the Mustangs took a commanding 51-23 lead into the final quarter.

Sprague-Ripley continued to shine, as he scored the team’s first four points in the fourth.

As the Massabesic bench emptied onto the floor, the Mustangs closed out the game strong, securing the victory.

Both Binette and Sprague-Ripley believed the crowd helped the team succeed.

“This was a game of runs, it was senior night, we just got on a run and fed off of the fans and energy in the gym,” said Binette.

“It was crazy tonight, the crowd was awesome. This is my first year playing here and it’s been great, I love it,” said Sprague- Ripley.

When reflecting on the year, Binette is happy for his team’s accomplishments.

“These 11 seniors have been playing in the program for six years and they have had some rough times. This is so awesome for them,” said Binette. “We went 14-4 during the regular season, it’s been a dream season for them. Moving forward, we hope the dream continues.”

Looking forward to the playoffs, Binette is confident in his team due to their competitiveness.

“It’s win or go home, it’s that simple,” said Binette. “We just have guys that want to win. We are going to be a tough out in the playoffs because our guys want to win and continue to play.”

— Sports Staff Writer Alex Sponseller can be reached at sports@journaltribune.com or at 282-1535 ext. 323. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.