NEWPORT — Long road trips had yielded defeats in the two previous games for the Nokomis boys basketball team. Even from the confines of home Thursday, there was a time things didn’t look good.

The Warriors went nearly six and a half minutes without a point in the first quarter against a Messalonskee team that’s been among the best in Class A North in the early going. Nokomis, though, was never out of it — and nearly flawless basketball the rest of the way would see it through to a 55-52 win.

“It’s a great bounceback win after a couple bad losses,” said Nokomis junior Dawson Townsend. “It was just a matter of our hard work and our mentality; we couldn’t score in the beginning, and we weren’t really getting any good shots, but we kept working, and our defensive hustle transitioned to our offense.”

Townsend (18 points, four rebounds) and Seth Bowden (13 points, four rebounds) led the way for Nokomis, which trailed for three-quarters of the game before taking over for good with 5:25 remaining. Messalonskee got 19 points and eight rebounds from Merrick Smith and 16 points from Jacob Moody.

Although Nokomis scored the opening basket, a struggle of a first quarter would follow for the Warriors. The home team failed to score until less than a minute remained in the first quarter after Bowden’s layup with 7:05 left, and Messalonskee (7-4) capitalized by going up 12-2 and taking a 15-6 lead into the second.

Trailing 18-8 in the second, though, Nokomis (7-4) went on a 7-0 run that culminated in a banked-in 3-pointer by Bowden midway through the period. The Eagles then stretched the lead back to eight, but back-to-back baskets by Connor Sides in the final minute kept the Warriors close at 26-22 entering the break.

“I think we just hung in there,” said Nokomis head coach Josh Grant. “Early on, I thought we were out of sorts on offense, but our defense got those steals, and that led to some easy layups for us out in transition. That calmed us down, and it helped us get some better offensive possessions and start playing well.”

With Messalonskee leading 34-29 midway through the third quarter, a Townsend 3-pointer and Bowden layup tied the game with just under two minutes remaining. The two teams then exchanged baskets three times before Nokomis finally retook the lead at 43-40 on Alex Grant’s triple with 5:25 left.

NEWPORT, ME – JANUARY 11 Jacob Moody takes a shot in the basketball game against Nokomis Thursday January 11, 2024 in Newport. (Staff photo by Anna Chadwick/Staff Photographer) Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

Although Nokomis led 46-41 midway through the fourth, two key baskets from Smith kept Messalonskee in it as the Eagles cut the deficit to 51-50 with 45 seconds remaining. The visitors then got a lifeline with 40.3 seconds to play as the Warriors were called for a technical foul, giving Messalonskee two shots and the ball.

Unfortunately for the visitors, Moody would miss both free throws before Messalonskee was called for a travel on the ensuing possession. Alex Grant then made two free throws with 13.0 left at the other end, and although Smith answered to make it 53-52, the Eagles called a timeout with none left, resulting in a technical and effectively ending the game.

“I didn’t do a good job of communicating how many timeouts we had, obviously, because one of the players called it,” said Messalonskee head coach Sam Smith. “That’s on me; I take full responsibility for that, and I’ve got to do better.”

The loss marked the second tight defeat against Nokomis this year for Messalonskee. The Eagles’ previous loss to the Warriors also came by three points as Alex Grant drained a 35-foot triple at the buzzer to give Nokomis a 56-53 victory in Oakland.

Effort, Sam Smith said, was a big reason Messalonskee came up short against the Warriors once again Thursday. Nokomis, he said, played with more energy and more effort than the Eagles, and Smith knows that has to change if Messalonskee wants to reach its full potential this season.

Nokomis players react after their teammate makes a three-point shot against Messalonskee during a boys basketball game Thursday in Newport. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

“Our biggest weakness is bringing effort and energy 100 percent of the time,” Smith said. “They know that, and I’ve told them that a million times, so we’ve got to keep learning and working at that. We can’t just bring it for eight minutes or 16 minutes or 24; we’ve got to bring it for all 32 minutes.”

The slow start was one in a series for Nokomis, which also had rough beginnings to its previous losses Friday against Cony and Tuesday against Mt. Blue. Unlike those games, though, the Warriors’ head coach said his team ultimately reverted to playing its own brand of basketball Thursday.

“We just got back to who we are and played with better energy, especially better defensive energy,” Coach Grant said. “Our last two games, we just couldn’t string things together offensively or defensively, but tonight, our effort gave us a chance to get back in it and come away with a win.”

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