Mavericks off to hot start near end of 2019

The North Country Mavericks are off to a 4-1 record after the first two weeks of the basketball season.

Last weekend’s three wins are the latest in the team’s four-game win streak. The Mavericks defeated the Class B Glasgow Scotties in Saco 52-44 on Thursday, December 12. They then participated in the Lewistown Invitational, defeating Roy-Winifred 36-31 on Friday, December 13, and then Geraldine-Highwood 45-20.

“The kids have buckled down and started to play a little team defense, so that’s really helping,” Mavericks Head Coach Ralph Ellsworth said.

This week, the Mavericks will have only one game before the Christmas break as they travel to Brockton to face the Brockton Warriors on Saturday, December 21.

In North Country’s win over Glasgow, the team was led by Loden Idler who scored 16 points and was ten of ten from the charity stripe. The team went 21-of-26 from the charity stripe.

“We shot really good free throws that game,” Coach Ellsworth said. “We don’t do that very often, so that was a big factor in the win.”

Trey Johnson had 13 points in the win.

“He is listed at 6’2” but I think he is growing as we sit here,” Coach Ellsworth said. “He adds an element that we haven’t had before. He also has good skills.”

Beau Simonson scored ten points, eight of which came in the fourth quarter.

The team jumped on Glasgow from the start, outscoring the Scotties 12-6 in the first quarter.

“Our guards are fast and able to put pressure on people,” Coach Ellsworth said of the team’s dominant start to the game. “And our bigs are starting to figure out how to back that up, so defensively, we are coming around pretty good, I think.”

The Scotties fought back in the second, outscoring the Mavs 10-6. The score was 18-16 in the second quarter.

The Maverick offense found it’s rhythm in the second half, outscoring Glasgow 15-7 in the third. The Mavericks also had 19 points in the fourth. The Scotties scored 21 in the same period.

The next day, North Country found themselves playing from behind, as the team had only one three-point field goal in the first quarter. They fell behind 9-3 to Roy-Winifred. The Mavericks would close the gap before halftime going on a 13-7 run in the second quarter. Roy-Winifred turned the tables on the Mavericks in the third outscoring the Mavs 11-9 and taking a 27-25 lead going into the fourth. The Mavs fourth-quarter defense did not give up a single field in the fourth, holding Roy-Winifred to four free throws made, while the North Country offense poured on 11 points.

Idler led the Mavs against Roy-Winifred, scoring 16 points. Johnson had nine and Jesse Lee had six.

In the team’s win 45-20 over Geraldine-Highwood, the North Country defense held their opponent to less than 10 points in each quarter and only two in the third.

The Mavericks were led by Simonson, who had 10 points. Both Lee and Dustin Ostrom had eight points.