MCI rallies past Wildcats in 4th Huskies show off scoring balance; gain spot in quarterfinal round

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PITTSFIELD – It was a run that epitomized a team’s balance.

Four different scorers produced 11 unanswered points, and in a defensive-minded battle that was the difference Tuesday as No. 8 Maine Central Institute shaded No. 9 Presque Isle 50-44 in an Eastern Maine Class B boys basketball preliminary-round game at Wright Gymnasium.

The win advances the 14-5 Huskies to a regional quarterfinal Saturday afternoon at the Bangor Auditorium against top-ranked Maranacook of Readfield. Presque Isle finishes with a 10-9 record.

Presque Isle scored the first five points of the fourth quarter to take a 34-31 lead, as Nic Gallant hit a 3-pointer and Bennett Cassidy scored on an inside move.

But MCI countered with an 11-0 run during the next three minutes that forever changed the complexion of this game.

Hunter Nichols hit a 3-pointer to tie the contest before Troy Murray went inside for a three-point play to give the Huskies a 37-34 lead with 5:36 left. Jeff Morton’s followup basket gave MCI a five-point edge before Patrick McGrady buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key to extend the margin to 42-34 and force a Presque Isle timeout with 3:30 to play.

“We knew coming into the second half we had to get better shot selection,” said MCI senior forward Victor Quint, “and everybody stepped up to the plate.”

Three times Presque Isle closed to within three points, the last time at 47-44 on a 3-pointer by Gabe Cheney with 18 seconds left. But MCI’s Benson Mensah-Bonsu preserved the victory by making two free throws after grabbing an offensive rebound with seven seconds to play.

Nichols led MCI with 13 points, while Mensah-Bonsu and Quint each added 10. and Murray contributed nine after sitting out the Huskies’ last two regular-season games with a back injury.

“That’s the way it’s been for us all year,” said MCI coach Mike Brown of his team’s balanced attack.

Quint, a senior who missed the first half of the season after undergoing right shoulder surgery and was making just his third start of the winter, also played a key defensive role against Presque Isle standout Adam Kingsbury.

While Kingsbury scored eight points in the first half to keep the Wildcats within 19-15 at the break, he managed just four shot attempts after intermission as Quint and the rest of the MCI defense kept the Wildcats confined to the perimeter.

“Victor played him most of the time and did a really good job,” said Brown. “What we were trying to do was deny him the ball, and if they threw it in there, we’d pretty much send everybody except the guy guarding [Logan] York or [Russ] Mortland to him. They did that, and did a pretty good job. They didn’t foul him, they went straight up, and we rebounded pretty well.”

Quint contributed a game-high 11 rebounds for the Huskies.

“I’m back in shape, plus I came into this game knowing I wanted to go back to Bangor,” he said. “I gave it all I had because I didn’t want to go out losing on my home court the last game of my senior year. I wanted to go back to Bangor one more time.”

York led Presque Isle with 16 points, 10 in the third quarter, while Kingsbury finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.

“Teams have done that all year against us, tried to keep Adam away from the basketball, and most of the time he’s been still able to come up with enough possessions to keep us in the game,” said Presque Isle coach Tim Prescott. “They’re a little more athletic than we are and a little quicker, and they did a good job..

“We got good looks from other people, we just didn’t shoot the ball well today.”

HUSKIES 50, WILDCATS 44

Presque Isle (10-9) MCI (14-5)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

York 4 4 5 6 16 Nichols 5 12 1 13

Legassie 0 0 0 0 0 Murray 4 8 9

Gallant 1 2 0 0 3 Jones 0 0 0

Cheney 3 10 0 0 7 Mns-Bnsu 3 10 4 4 10

Mortland 1 9 0 0 2 McGrady 2 4 6

A. Kingsbry 6 12 0 0 12 Quint 3 6 10

Ireland 0 1 0 0 0 Sidelingr 0 0

Cassidy 2 7 0 0 4 Morton 1 1 2

Totals 17 45 5 6 44 18 43 10 15 50

Presque Isle 1 15 29 44

MCI 7 19 31 50

3-pt. goals – Presque Isle (5-10): York 3-3, Gallant 1-1, Cheney 1-3, Cassidy 0-1, Mortland 0-2; MCI (4-9): McGrady 2-4, Nichols 2-5

Attendance: 450 (est.)