By BRIAN ROACH
BOURNE – Between the battle of two talented guards, it was sophomore David Laine who led his team to victory over the talented senior Chad Gaucher in what could be a Division 3 South showdown again over the next few weeks.
Laine scored a team-high 31 points while collecting eight rebounds and five assists in a 75-68 victory over South Coast Conference opponent Apponequet in Bourne last night.
“(Laine) was outstanding today,” said Bourne head coach Scott Ashworth. “One of the sets we run, we just kept it in his hands.”
The sophomore finished with 12 points in the final frame as the Canalmen pushed back with a 7-1 run after the Lakers cut the deficit to 54-50 early in the fourth to push the lead back to 61-51.
Gaucher scored 15 points in the final eight minutes, including three three-pointers to keep Apponequet within striking distance, but could not get his team any closer than 69-65 in the final minute of play.
“We came and helped by closing out on the shooters very well in the first half,” said Ashworth. “Then we started putting (Gaucher) to the line and the plus-ones. Sometimes we can’t stand prosperity. When something is going well for some reason we go away from it.”
For the Lakers, Gaucher had 32 points on the night while grabbing eight boards as he scored 26 of the 35 points for his team in the second half. Junior Dylan Sheedy (10 points) was the lone other double digit scorer for Apponequet. Junior Parker Freedman (13 points, five rebounds) and junior Chris Davis (10 points) also chipped in for Bourne.
Coach Ashworth was happy with the limited scoring opportunities his team allowed after allowing three 21-point scorers two weeks ago in Apponequet.
“Last time, we didn’t guard,” Ashworth said. “Every time we tried to close out, they would drive the ball into the paint. It’s tough when the ball keeps going into the paint. It’s just tough to defend. I thought (today) we did a much better job of keeping the ball out of the paint.”
With the win, Bourne (18-3, 13-3) looks to be a lock for one of the top seeds in the Div. 3 South tournament. Ashworth is very happy with the results leading up to the tournament seeding this Friday.
“It’s always good to end the regular season on a high note,” Ashworth said. “They (Apponequet) beat us by 13 the first time and to come back with this kind of an effort says a lot for our kids.”
In the first half, Laine netted 19 points and helped rally his team back from a 22-16 hole as the Canalmen ended the second quarter on a 21-7 run to end the half – including a three from Laine to put his team up 37-29 at the half after Bourne held just a 14-13 edge after the first quarter.
Gaucher took over in the third quarter and scored 11 straight points to bring the Lakers within striking distance at 48-42, but Bourne held onto a 50-46 lead heading into the final frame.