Dexter, ME-- Trevor Fogarty recorded 29 points (11-15 FG), five rebounds, five assists and one steal to lead the Dexter Tigers boys basketball team to a 59-50 victory over the Penobscot Valley high school (PVHS) Howlers at Guiski Gymnasium on Saturday evening.
"He (Fogarty) has been like that all year for us. He is a good player. He is a good offensive player,"Dexter coach Peter Murray said. "When you are facing a team that throws a zone at you, someone needs to knock down the shots."
Fogarty added, "I Just got a lot of open looks tonight. My teammates did a good job getting me the ball."
Dexter took a 6-4 lead when Dylan Graffam made a layup with 3:04 remaining in the first quarter. That would be a lead the Tigers would hold the rest of the way.
Fogarty nailed a three pointer as time was winding down in the second quarter to give the Tigers a 26-21 lead going into halftime.
Fogarty had 15 points, four rebounds and four assists in the first half.
The Tigers scored the first six points of the second half to extend the lead to 32-21.
Fogarty gave Dexter their biggest lead of the game when he hit a jumper with 1:05 remaining in the third quarter to give the Tigers a comfortable 39-26 lead.
Wyatt Foster made a three pointer for the Howlers with 1:24 remaining in the fourth quarter. That cut the Tigers lead to 53-48.
"They (PVHS) are a hungry, athletic team. They got to the ball quicker than we did,"Murray said. "We did not execute very well in the half court set."
The Tigers made four free throws down the stretch including Casey Jordan hitting two that put the game away with 14 seconds remaining.
"We need to play with a little bit more passion. A little bit more energy,"Fogarty said. "We got the win. That is all that matters."
Graffam recorded 10 points, 10 rebounds, one steal and one block for the Tigers. Bailey Spack scored eight points and dished out two assists.
Jordan chipped in with six points, nine rebounds and three assists. Matt Crane added six points, eight rebounds, two steals and one assist.
Dexter (9-7) will host Stearns on Monday in a game that will determine a lot when it comes to seeding in the upcoming class C tournament.
Stearns currently sits seventh in the MPA class C standings. Dexter is eighth. The winner will guarantee at least a home prelim game and be in contention for a top five seed.
The top five teams in class C avoid a preliminary round game and advance to the quarterfinals at the Bangor Auditorium.
"That is a huge game for us. We need to come out ready to play, "Fogarty said. "We need to win that game. If we win that game we will be sitting a lot higher in the standings."
Stearns will come into the contest with a record of 11-5. All five losses for the Minutemen have come against the top three teams (Houlton, Penquis and Lee) in the class C standings. Stearns defeated Dexter 54-51 at Millinocket on January 2nd.
"If we play like this Monday we will not beat that team (Stearns),"Murray said. "We are capable of stepping up. We have not had a game where everybody plays good the same night. We are due for that. I am hoping Monday might be the night."
Robert Hallett led the Howlers with 14 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals. Griffin Libby added 13 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Wade Thurlow scored nine points for the Howlers. Grant Doane put in six points. Wyatt Foster chipped in with six points, three rebounds and two steals.
PVHS (3-13) finishes the regular season with home games against Searsport and Bangor Christian.
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