The Crandall University Chargers and the University of Maine at Presque-Isle Owls began their final game of the 2015 CAN-AM Classic with a dominating performance by the Chargers.
From rebounding quickly to finding slick seams for well-placed passes, the Chargers bounced into a 23-17 lead by the end of the first quarter.
While the Owls had chances in the second quarter, for the first 4:52 of the quarter the Chargers scored 10 unanswered points.
Just as the game seemed to be slipping from the Owls’ grasp, they clawed their way back into the game with a quick lay up to steal the momentum from the Chargers, answering with 8 unanswered points of their own.
Instrumental in this turning of the second quarter tides were Owls’ Nick Lenhard, Maurice Harris and Kevin Collins, who led the charge against the Chargers.
But a quick Chargers lay up stung the Owls’ swooping attack, and the Chargers quickly regained their domineering posture from the first quarter.
Chargers’ Igor Dias, native of Santa Cruz, Brazil, after making a statement with a huge block with a minute left in his team’s defensive zone, mastered a mighty lay up down the middle a mere thirty seconds later to slump the Owls’ resistance 41-30 at half time.
The third quarter was the most stagnant time of the game scoring wise before an explosive fourth quarter that saw the Owls outscore the Chargers 23-18.
Chargers’ player of the game Thomarcus Nix was key in preserving the home side’s win, and finished with 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals.
With two minutes remaining in the fourth and final quarter, and the Chargers leading 68-54, Owls’ Spencer Campbell fired the first shot of his team’s final attack, scoring off a three point shot.
However, after several missed shots and Crandall scoring two points on free throws with 11 seconds remaining, the gap remained too large to overcome for the Owls.
In their loss, Owls’ player of the game Kevin Collins notched a game-high 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals; while teammate Maurice Harris also sported an impressive outing, putting up 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals.
