GARDINER — All it took for the Gardiner boys basketball team to get its record back to .500 was its best quarter of the season.

The Tigers racked up 26 points — including runs of 11-0 and 8-0 — in the first quarter en route to a 70-57 victory over Nokomis in a Class A North game Friday night at Bragoli Gym. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for the Tigers (8-8).

“We’ve had a couple of quarters where we’ve scored in the 20s, but 26 is right up there,” said Gardiner coach Aaron Toman. “It certainly helped set the tone for the game.”

Junior forward Brady Atwater led Gardiner with 17 points — 14 in the first half. Sophomore guard Trace Moody added 15 points, while junior guard Brady Peacock had 14.

“It was pretty awesome,” Moody said. “We’ve been working in practice on not fouling. We just came together as one (tonight) and played as a team.”

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Seth Bowden, a junior, scored 27 points for the Warriors (4-12). Drew Grant, a sophomore, added 10 points.

How did they do it?

Atwater scored seven points in the first quarter to spark Gardiner. The Tigers’ defense forced six turnovers in the first quarter, and a hard-charging, fast-transition attack led to easy buckets.

“I told the guys, I just felt like we were more connected tonight than at certain points in the season,” Toman said. “We’ve been connected, at times, really closely. But tonight, I saw a connection where guys really cared about each other on the court and on the bench. I think that translates to our style of play.”

“I’m proud of the team and how we played,” Atwater said. “We stuck together and came together to close out the win. We struggled with this early in the season, so I’m glad we finished that strong.”

Gardiner also made six 3-pointers in the first half and shot 10 for 13 from the foul line.

Key moment

Both of Gardiner’s runs led to its quick lead, but its 11-0 run, which came midway through the first quarter, helped the Tigers double-up on the Warriors.

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“We knew (Nokomis) couldn’t hang with us in transition, so we tried to push it as much as possible,” Moody said. “We knew (Atwater) couldn’t be guarded, so we just kept making plays for him, and he had the hot hand in the first half.”

Nokomis played better in the second half, even outscoring Gardiner 16-12 in the fourth quarter. But Gardiner, up 58-41 entering the fourth, simply had too strong a lead. Bowden scored 16 of his 27 points in the second half for Nokomis.

What does it mean?

The victory was key for Gardiner in two different areas. First, it helped snap a four-game losing streak, which included a frustrating 71-70 loss to rival Cony in Gardiner on Jan. 23.

The Tigers, who entered the game as the No. 7 seed in Class A North, have likely secured a spot in the Class B North playoff field. That’s huge news for a team that ends the regular season with two road games — against No. 6 Mt. Blue and No. 4 Cony.

“We’re playing pretty good basketball against some of the better teams in our league,” Toman said. “We’re right there with some of those top teams. Just because we have some close losses, we’re not letting that define our season.”

Statistical leaders

Gardiner: Brady Atwater (17 points), Trace Moody (15 points), Brady Peacock (14 points)

Nokomis: Seth Bowden (27 points), Drew Grant (10 points)

Up next

Gardiner: at Mt. Blue (11-5), 7 p.m. Monday

Nokomis: at Brewer (13-3), 6:30 p.m. Tuesday

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