The MBR U17 boys basketball team jumped out to an 8-0 lead and went on to defeat the Ohio Purple Elite 79-59 during the second day of pool play Thursday at the AAU Division 1 11th-Grade National Championships in Louisville, Kentucky.
Coach Rick Moore’s club is now 2-0 and could win its pool with a victory over MP-CM3 Sports Lightning of New York City later Friday. Those teams met in a semifinal of the Hall of Fame Spring Classic at Springfield, Massachusetts, last year, which MP-CM3 won 73-68.
Andrew Fleming of Oxford Hills of South Paris scored a team-high 20 points against Ohio Purple Elite and was one of four MBR players to finish in double figures. Tom Coyne of Falmouth added 17 points while Hunter Smith of Foxcroft Academy in Dover-Foxcroft scored 11 and Brendan McIntyre of Hampden Academy had 10.
Conar Moore of Hampden chipped in with eight points for the winners, while Riley Robinson of Dirigo of Dixfield scored six.
MBR used its quick start to build an 18-7 lead at the end of the third quarter, and a Fleming dunk early in the second period helped the Maine squad extend its lead to 36-19 by halftime.
Fleming had 12 points at the break to go with six points each from Coyne and Moore and five from Smith.
A dunk and 3-pointer by McIntyre pushed the margin to 20 points in the third quarter, and MBR took a 58-41 lead into the final period.
