BRUNSWICK

It didn’t take long for the excitement to begin at Brunswick High School Monday afternoon as the Dragons hosted the Unified basketball team from Lisbon. From the opening tip to the final horn, the two teams battled throughout, with the Greyhounds coming out on top, 61-38.

Lisbon’s Michael Farrington led all scorers with 20 points, while Brunswick’s Nate Hall followed with 18.

Lisbon’s Cameron Segovia netted 10 points followed by Wes Lucas’ nine. Brunswick’s John Johnson chipped in with eight points, while Chandler Taylor added four.

Lisbon (3-3) scored quickly, getting a pair of baskets from Farrington and Segovia to jump out to an 8-0 lead early in the first half.

Brunswick got on the scoreboard with a Taylor basket midway through the opening frame, but Lisbon went on a 12-0 run, punctuated by a Lynn Feely hoop, before Taylor scored again ending the run. Lisbon led 20-4 with 6:49 remaining.

The Greyhounds used their height advantage underneath, grabbing rebounds after Brunswick misses and pushing the ball down the court on offense. Lisbon’s Dawson Martel got in the scoring column, tallying eight first-half points, including a basket off an unselfish assist from Teegan Mattson after a rebound.

Hall began to warm up for Brunswick. The junior’s first basket came with 3:39 remaining, cutting the Lisbon lead to 26-8. After a couple of Lisbon hoops, Hall connected on a basket from behind the arc with 33 seconds left.

Hall made it back-to-back with another 3-pointer following a Lisbon miss, but a Lucas trey at the buzzer pushed the Lisbon lead back to 33-14 after the first 20 minutes.

Farrington had 10 first-half points, while Segovia chipped in with six and Lucas five. Kristy Coleman also registered a basket for two points for the visiting Greyhounds.

To go with Hall’s eight points, Taylor finished the half with four, while Lukas Umbriaco had two for the Dragons.

“It’s a good feeling to go out and play. Everyone seems to go out and have fun,” said Umbriaco. “We have good players and we all try hard.”

Second half

Play continued in the second half with more offense from the Farrington. The post player’s guards continued to feed him the ball underneath, and the sophomore responded by banking layups off the backboard for two points apiece. Farrington found the basket five more times in the second half.

“It’s fun to play basketball,” said Farrington. “My teammates got me the ball 10 times today,” as the sophomore praised his fellow teammates.

Trailing 41-20, Hall got back behind the 3-point line and hoisted a couple more. He sank two more treys and the Dragons cut the lead to 43-26.

“I like to shoot, it’s something I’ve worked on,” said Hall.

A steal and a layup from Brunswick’s Johnson with nine minutes left gave the Dragons a little life, but Lisbon proved to be too much on this day, getting second half baskets down the stretch from Misty Coleman, Kristy Coleman, Segovia, Lucas and Feely to pull away for the victory.

Brunswick fought to the end, playing until the final whistle. Mason Blodgett and Logan Demers each scored second-half baskets, while Johnson scored all eight of his points in the final 20 minutes.

Hall hit a jumper just inside the 3-point arc to end with 10 second-half points.

Hall’s play didn’t go unnoticed from his teammate.

“Nate Hall, number 33, he can shoot 3-pointers real well,” added Umbriaco. “John Johnson carries the ball for us too.”

“The kids have the opportunity to go and play basketball,” said Lisbon coach Jonah Sautter. “For me, it’s all about watching them go out and have fun. They don’t like to lose, but either way, they always seem to have fun.”

The players and coaches shook hands after the game ended, complimenting each other on a well-played game, sharing laughs with teammates and family members.

Not too many were concerned with the 61-38 final, and that’s usually how it is according to Brunswick coach Nancy Burnette.

“Most of these kids know the score, but they don’t really care,” said Burnette. “Just the fact that they are on a team, it’s something they can relate to others in school. They are part of a team and when they see each other in the hallways, they high-five each other.

“Other kids will ask if they have a game today, it means so much to them to have their peers interested in what they’re doing. To me, that’s the biggest things these kids take away from this.”