Posted: Feb 14, 2017
UNITY, ME – The UMA men's basketball team took advantage of a break in the snow over the weekend to travel to Unity to face the Rams in the last game of the regular season. This was a must win matchup for both teams, as the win would solidify which team would continue on to the YSCC Elite Eight Basketball Championships.
The Moose faced a packed gym filled with duck calls and drum beats as Unity was hosting its Senior Night honoring Sean Tocci and Josh Bernier.
The Rams of Unity came out strong, using the atmosphere to charge them to an eight point lead early on against the Moose. The Moose dug in and found their own run, using their strong parameter shooting to lead the way. The score remained close throughout the first half with UMA holding onto a small lead (36-33) heading into the locker rooms.
It continued to be a back and forth battle throughout the second half. The Moose saw several standout defensive plays by Freshman Nate Martin. Captain Noah Thompson continued to hit critical shots, keeping the momentum of the game in favor of the Moose. The game continued to be a crowd pleasing battle all the way to the final minutes.
In the remaining seconds of play Dustin Simpson-Bragg was able to get a breakaway with the ball and putting an exclamation point on the Moose's road win with a massive dunk.
This win marked the 100th career win for the men's basketball coach Jim Ford.
With this win, the Moose will open the YSCC Elite Eight Basketball Championships facing SMCC on February 17th at 6:30PM in South Portland.