BREWER – On Saturday, Lucas Violette and Trevor Killip were a combined 2-for-7 for a total of four points and two rebounds in Brewer’s season-opening victory.

Three days later, the pair of opening-game afterthoughts were heroes as they led the Witches to a 55-51 win over Waterville at Brewer High School Tuesday night.

Killip and Violette helped the Witches cook up some Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference basketball. Their recipe – featuring the KVAC’s trademark in-your-face defense and a slow, deliberate pace – didn’t slide too smoothly down the Purple Panthers’ throats.

Violette helped 2-0 Brewer keep hanging around with his outside shooting (3-for-5 from 3-point range) and helped the Witches seal the win by going 4-for-4 from the line in the final two minutes.

The senior guard also helped lead a furious, man-to-man defensive effort that helped force 24 turnovers by Waterville, now 0-2.

“Most of our practice is defense,” Violette said. “We really don’t care about our offense because defense wins games.”

Despite scoring a game-high 19 points, Violette said he just didn’t have his good shooting touch.

“I felt awful, shooting-wise. I didn’t feel it at all today,” he said. “In warmups: Didn’t have it. But my freshman coach always told me to keep shooting and I had open shots, so I took them.”

Killip used the same rationale as Brewer’s spread offense opened the lane up in the fourth quarter.

The junior center scored eight points in a game-changing 10-2 run – the largest in a game where the biggest lead was six points – that ended the third quarter and started the fourth. Killip scored the first six points of the fourth for Brewer on three quick, knifing, darting runs through the suddenly open lane as Brewer spread the floor.

“I like that when the floor is open. You just press hard and get there and hope it goes in,” said Killip. “In the fourth quarter, when we spread it out, they just let me do whatever I wanted, and that’s great. I love that.”

What the 6-foot-3 Killip gives up in size, he’s starting to make up for in quickness.

Killip, who first started playing organized basketball in eighth grade, is affectionately known as “Colt” to his teammates because of his galloping running style and out-of-control style of play.

“Colt” galloped his way to 12 points and two steals Tuesday.

After the run, Brewer was up 39-34 – its biggest lead – but the Panthers clawed their way back as Tom Nale scored seven straight Panther points to bring them within two (43-41) with 2:45 left.

Nale scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and Waterville switched from a man defense to a press to generate some Brewer turnovers. The Witches countered by hitting eight of nine foul shots in the last three minutes to pull it out.

“We kept answering when they’d score. That was the key,” said Brewer coach Dave Paul.

Junior forward Justin Wolcott led Waterville with 20 points, nine rebounds, and two blocked shots.

“We need other people to step up and get some buckets out of somebody else. Tonight we really didn’t get it, we just got it out of two people,” said Panthers coach Ken Lindlof. “Right now, we’re struggling with our half-court offense. We’re kind of the New England Patriots of the KVAC.”

Witches 55, Purple Panthers 51

Waterville (0-2) 51 Brewer (2-0) 55

Name G AG F AF TP Name G AG F AF TP

LaPlante 1 1 0 0 2 Bicknell 1 1 0 0 2

Nale 7 12 4 6 18 Everett 1 1 0 0 3

DeGuzman 2 4 2 2 6 Goupee 0 0 0 0 0

Lockhard 0 0 0 0 0 Violette 6 9 4 5 19

LaMarre 0 2 0 0 0 Killip 6 12 0 0 12

Gallaway 0 0 0 0 0 Snell 1 4 4 4 7

Wolcott 8 12 4 6 20 Rapp 3 8 0 1 6

Gilley 1 2 1 2 3 Dearborn 2 10 0 0 4

Greenlaw 1 4 0 3 2 Vickery 0 2 0 0 0

Chasse 0 0 0 0 0

Archer 1 2 0 1 2

Totals 20 37 11 19 51 Totals 21 49 8 11 55

Waterville 9 25 32 51

Brewer 9 24 33 55

3-pt. goals: Waterville (0-1): DeGuzman 0-1; Brewer (5-12): Violette 3-5, Everett 1-1, Snell 1-1, Dearborn 0-4, Vickery 0-1

Attendance: 436

Preliminary: Brewer JVs 55-47