WINTHROP — The Winthrop boys basketball team is sticking with its one-game-at-a-time mantra but there’s little doubt the Ramblers have high expectations for themselves.
Tuesday night they ran their Class C South record to 16-0 by dismantling Wiscasset in the second half en route to an 89-58 victory.
Jacob Hickey led the offense with 25 points and seven assists while the reserves accounted for 30 points. And everyone played defense in helping force 20 Wolverine turnovers.
“One of the things we’re doing a much better job of is being consistent with our depth,” Winthrop coach Todd MacArthur said. “We want to make sure the integrity of our defense stays the same with different units on the floor. We’re starting to get that.”
This was a good game for a half. Ethan James and Zach Reed combined for 23 points in the first half to lead Wiscasset (9-8), which drew within three (38-35) late in the second quarter. But Hickey nailed a 3 from the left side on an inbounds play and assisted on Cam Wood’s layup to put the Ramblers up 43-35 at the half.
The second half was all Winthrop. Garrett Tsouprake (10 points) stole the inbounds pass to open the second half and laid it in and the Ramblers never looked back. Sophomore center Wood scored six of his 16 points in the quarter and Hickey connected on two of his five 3s for the game and suddenly the lead was 20 points.
“This year we’re even deeper than we were last year,” Hickey said. “We have two sophomore shooters that come in off the bench and it makes everything easier for our offense.”
Hickey’s assists are up this season by design.
“He’s our glue,” MacArthur said. “He’s our scorer. One of the things we’ve asked out of him this year is to score less and try to get more assists.”
Foul trouble hurt the Wolverines in the second half and so did Winthrop’s depth. Zach Steele finished with 10 points off the bench while sophomore Nate LeBlanc added seven.
“We haven’t figured out how to play 32 minutes,” said Wiscasset coach Dana Lawrence, whose team has dropped four in a roll. “You’ve got to have the heart and desire to do it.”
Tsouprake’s three-point play pushed the lead to 74-47 and the Ramblers coasted home from there.
“Everybody on this team is contributing and .. . that makes us dangerous,” MacArthur said. “This team understands that we’re always trying to get better. We understand the expectations and we embrace the expectations. That means we’re doing something right here in Winthrop.”
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