The MBR U17 boys basketball team fell to the Tennessee Tigers 65-54 during first-round consolation bracket play at the AAU Division I 11th-Grade National Tournament Sunday morning, ending their stay in Louisville, Kentucky.
Coach Rick Moore’s club finished national tournament play with a 3-3 record after winning its pool and advancing to national championship bracket play.
MBR had to battle from behind throughout its game with Tennessee, trailing 15-12 after the first quarter and 30-27 at intermission despite 11 first-half points from Riley Robinson of Dirigo of Dixfield.
The Maine team pulled into a third-quarter tie on a 3-pointer by Hampden Academy’s Jake Black, but Tennessee surged back to a 46-38 lead by the end of the period.
MBR drew back within three points with three minutes left in the game before Tennessee was able to stretch its advantage back to double digits.
Hunter Smith of Foxcroft Academy in Dover-Foxcroft paced MBR with 14 points while Robinson finished with 13 and Andrew Fleming of Oxford Hills of South Paris scored 10. The Maine team also got six points each from Black and Tom Coyne of Falmouth, three points from Brendan McIntyre of Hampden and two points from Hampden’s Conar Moore.
MBR survived its first day of championship-round play Saturday, rallying from a three-point loss in its first game with a 61-49 victory over the Minnesota Comets.
With former Messalonskee of Oakland star and rising Eastern Kentucky freshman Nick Mayo — who led the Maine Athletic Club U17 team to an 11th-place finish at the nationals last year — in the stands for support, MBR used balanced scoring to pull away from the Minnesota team and improve its overall record in the tournament to 3-2.
MBR trailed 11-10 at the end of the first quarter but moved out to a 26-20 halftime lead behind 10 points from Coyne, eight from Fleming and four from Smith.
A 3-pointer and a second basket by Moore, a steal from Black and baskets from Robinson and Coyne stretched the MBR lead to a game-high 39-28, but Minnesota answered with the last six points of the third quarter to draw back within 39-34.
MBR’s lead was seven points with 4:22 left in the game before two free throws by Robinson and a steal by Skowhegan’s Isaac Witham followed by a Moore basket restored the Maine team to a double-digit advantage.
Fleming finished with 15 points and Coyne had 13, while Robinson (9), Smith (9), Moore (7), Black (6) and Witham (2) also contributed to the MBR scoring total.
Earlier on Saturday, MBR’s rally from an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit came up just short in a 58-55 loss to Ohio Crossover.
Three-pointers by Moore and Witham after a pair of steals pulled MBR within six points with less than two minutes remaining before Black hit a 3-pointer with 1:15 left to make it a one-possession game.
Fleming then fouled out with 34 seconds left, and Ohio made both free throws to take a five-point edge.
Black then hit another 3-pointer with 15 seconds left, but Ohio made two more free throws in the final seconds to secure the win.
Fleming led MBR with 15 points while Coyne scored 11 and Smith added 10. Black finished with nine points and Witham added five for the Maine squad.
