Mavericks defeat Brockton

The North Country Mavericks basketball team will head into the 2019 Christmas break with a 5-1 record after defeating the Brockton warriors 56-39 on Saturday, December 22, in Brockton.

“It feels good, knowing that we have those wins under our belt really just gives us extra confidence for when we come back after the break,” Mavericks post Beau Simonson said.

The Mavs were led in scoring by Simonson and Jesse Lee who each had 12 points. Loden Idler and Jon Rey Taylor each had 11 points. Dustin Ostrom had six points and Trey Johnson added four to the total.

Though the Mavericks won, they struggled at times with Brockton’s offense, even falling behind by four in the opening half.

“We sort of struggled in the first half, but then we got our feet under us and started to play smart,” Simonson said. “We ran the offense better and started seeing those clever passes.”

The Mavericks will face the Nashua Porcupines on Friday, January 3, in Nashua. Prior to that game, the Mavericks will hold practices during Christmas Break.

Simonson was asked what the team would work on.

“I think we need to work on running our offenses better and waiting for opportunities to appear instead of forcing things,” Simonson said.

The team has embraced the art form of relying on a set offense, a philosophy that Mavericks Head Coach Ralph Ellsworth has relied on for many years.

Simonson was asked about the benefits of running a controlled offense.

“I think it really takes the other team out of the ‘speed up game,’ and gives us the chance to control the game,” Simonson said.