Winslow’s Jason Reynolds, center, looks to shake Mount View defenders Wyatt Evensen, left, and Tyler Russell during a boys basketball game Monday night in Thorndike. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel
THORNDIKE — There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of the Winslow boys basketball team these days.
The Black Raiders (12-1) are riding a 10-game win streak, including a 76-50 rout of Mount View on Monday night.
Entering the week, Winslow boasted two of the top scorers in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference: seniors Jason Reynolds (30.1 points per game) and Andrew Poulin (22.4). As a team, the Black Raiders are second in KVAC Class B in scoring (67.9 points per game), and second in KVAC B in team defense (54 points allowed per game).
Much of that success comes from team chemistry, Reynolds and Poulin said.
“We’ve been playing with each other since third grade,” said Poulin, a guard. “The chemistry is really good this year. We get into it on defense. The kids are making shots on offense. We just have a really good team this year.”
“Our chemistry is unmatched,” added Reynolds, a forward. “These practices that we’ve had throughout the year have helped us conditioning-wise. We need it, because we know we have a group that can go all the way. I’m very proud of this group. We have not a lot of varsity experience from the bench, but a lot of those guys have stepped up this year. We’ve just moved on from there.”
Winslow’s Braden Rodrigue, left, tries to get around Mount View defender Noah Hurd during a boys basketball game Monday night in Thorndike. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel
Winslow — which entered play Tuesday sitting second in Class B North behind Ellsworth (14-0) — only has one blemish this season. The Black Raiders dropped a 69-59 loss to Lincoln Academy on Dec. 20.
And when they seemed to be in trouble against conference foe Mount View on Monday night, the Black Raiders found an extra gear, parlaying a 16-0 run in the third quarter to the big victory.
“I think our toughness (stands out),” Winslow head coach Ken Lindlof said. “These kids enjoy competing, they enjoy playing with each other. They don’t get down when things aren’t going well. They keep battling. We’ve got a mature group, with guys that have a lot of experience, especially with Jason and Andrew.”
Reynolds — who leads the KVAC in scoring and rebounds (14.3 rpg) — became the school’s all-time leading scorer earlier this season. Poulin is third in the KVAC in scoring while sophomore guard Braden Roderigue is fifth in the conference in assists per game (4.7).
Reynolds earned a double-double (27 points, 16 rebounds) in the victory over Mount View, and so did junior center Matt Quirion (13 points, 10 rebounds), who has shown ability to be an asset with rebounds (6.2 per game).
There’s unfinished business for Winslow. As a No. 7 seed last year, the Black Raiders had their season end at the hands of No. 2 Orono in the regional quarterfinals.
The 2023 B North playoffs are a final charge for Reynolds, Poulin and other seniors
“If we’re going to be a state championship contender, it can’t always be me and Andrew (scoring),” Reynolds said. “It has to be the Matt Quirions, the Braden Roderigues, the Lucas Bouchers. They stepped up (Monday night). If they can do that throughout the rest of the season, we can make a deep run.”
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