POLAND — Despite seeing it once already this season ”“ in a victory nonetheless ”“ Kennebunk struggled from the start against a Poland defense that pressured relentlessly. The Rams never got in a rhythm on offense as they lost 51-34 in a Western Maine Conference boys basketball game on Tuesday.
Kennebunk (3-8) took a brief 4-2 lead on baskets by big men Austin Sandler and Jack Lapham, hoping to duplicate the result from a 49-42 win back on Dec. 10. But the Knights (5-6) then went on a 6-0 run that propelled them to a 16-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.
“That’s been the story of our season,” said Sandler. “We’re used to not coming out to the best starts.”
“We’re not a big comeback team. It’s very, very hard,” said Kennebunk head coach John Dube. “It’s tough, and that’s why they pressed themselves.”
The Rams were nearly outscored personally by Poland forward Alan Young, who came off the bench to score seven points in the quarter, including a put-back at the buzzer.
Shawn Murphy made an old-fashioned, three-point play to put the Knights up by double digits, at 19-9, but the Rams then put together their best stretch of the game. Kennebunk scored on five-consecutive possessions, started by a 3-pointer from Nate Gilbert, to go on a 13-0 run and take a 21-19 lead.
“We went back to the offense and focused the ball getting down low,” said Sandler. “We’ve got one of the biggest big guys in the league (in the 6-foot-5 Lapham).”
Poland took the lead back before halftime, however, as Poland’s pressure forced Gilbert to commit a 10-second backcourt violation with a chance for a last shot. The Knights took a 24-23 lead into the break.
The Knights also forced two five-second closely guarded violations and two offensive three-seconds violations.
“We expect it,” Dube said of Poland’s defensive pressure, “but (we) should be able to handle it.”
That lead fluctuated between one and three points early in the third quarter before a 3-pointer by Poland’s Tyler Michaud extended the lead to 34-28. Young then put back his own missed free throw to extend the lead to 36-28 at the end of the quarter.
“I know this is a pesky team, and they just wanted it more than we did right away. You could tell in that third quarter, they just came out harder,” said Sandler.
“We were going to stick with the same game plan, and wait for a couple changes,” said Dube. “They got a quick lead, and all of a sudden, we start pressing.”
The Rams were able to force Young ”“ who scored a game-high 15 points ”“ to the bench 33 seconds into the fourth, as he picked up two quick fouls to give him four in the game.
Kennebunk was able to the cut the deficit to 37-31, but never got closer. The Rams ran into their own foul trouble, as Sandler, Lapham and Ben Wilson all fouled out in a one-minute span late in the game.
“Foul trouble tonight was tremendous. It hurts us big time,” said Sandler. “We’ve only got about seven guys, and when you start bringing eight, nine off the bench it just kills us, and they took advantage of it.”
C.J. Martin, who scored 46 combined points during his last two games for Poland, but was held to just four through three quarters, finished off the Rams with six points in the final quarter. The Knights ended the game on a 17-3 run.
“We want to be a playoff team,” said Dube, “but not tonight.”
Lapham finished with a team-high 13 points, while Sandler pitched in with 10.
The Rams, who were just one spot out of the playoffs heading into Tuesday night, will look to get back on the winning track when they host Cape Elizabeth on Friday night. Kennebunk will be looking for revenge, as the Capers won the previous meeting on Dec. 28 on a buzzer-beater 3-pointer.
“We’re looking forward to this game,” Sandler said of the rematch with the Capers. “This game was big tonight, but we’ve got Cape Elizabeth at home, and we don’t have many games left. We might as well just come out hot.”
“It’s high school basketball. We’ll see which team shows up,” said Dube. “I have all the confidence” that they’ll rebound.
— Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or sports@journaltribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.
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