HOW "SWEEP" IT IS

(Auburn, ME) It would be a neutral battleground for two of the top teams in the YSCC, when the UMA Moose tipped off against the VSR Knights, on Saturday, Dec 2nd, in Auburn. VSR came riding in on a 3 game winning streak while the Moose were still fired up from a big rival win over CMCC. UMA freshman forward, Isaiah Searles, would score the first 5 points for the Moose, forcing the Knights defense to quickly adjust away from doubling down on leading scorer Trevor Beals. Asst Coach Eric Collins said, "The offensive chemistry is starting to flow with our guys, and when you have top outside shooters working well with players who can dominate the paint, it becomes tough to defend." The Moose would head to the locker room with a 31-38 lead. 

The second half started with some defensive woes for VSR, allowing the Moose to extend the lead to 11. However; after a full time out, the Knights came back and started to find some rhythm on both ends of the court and would take a 62-60 lead with 7:50 on the game clock. That lead would soon extend to 4, as costly turnovers from the Moose gave the Knights their largest lead of the game. Showing the resilience of the team, the Moose would battle back and regain a 74-75 lead with a timely steal and layup from Trevor Beals. VSR would tie the game at 78-78 with a Jaylon Calvin jumper with 26 seconds remaining. Looking to avoid a turnover and maintain possession for hopefully the last shot of the game, the Moose would need to break the full court press and then look to set up for the game winner. Maturo broke the half court line and began to call the play. He kicked the ball to the side where Medfu was looking for Trevor Beals cutting to the rim which was covered well by the VSR defense. With time running down, Medfu moved to the bottom corner and with 3 seconds on the clock drained what would be the game winner.

Top performers for the Moose were Trevor Beals, 27pts - 11 reb - 5 ast, Isaiah Searles, 16 pts -  10 reb - 1 blk, and Yonas Medu and Zack Maturo both adding 12 pts.

The Moose would finish the weekend with a commanding victrory over Paul Smith's College with a final score of 90-57. Trevor Beals would again lead the Moose with 16 pts - 9 reb - 5 ast, followed by Donte Sharp, 13 pts - 2 reb - 3 ast, and Zach Maturo, 10 pts - 5 reb - 4 ast.

The Moose will next play Friday, Dec 8 vs UMPI in Presque Isle.