NEWBURYPORT — You know you're at a Newburyport boys basketball game if it's a tight game in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.
The Clippers (12-3), kings of the closing minutes, pulled out another close game last evening — a 56-46 victory over Triton at Newburyport High. All but three of the Clippers' victories this season have come by single-digits. They are 7-3 in games decided by six points or less, although last night's game didn't qualify, even though the Clippers led 45-43 with four minutes remaining.
Newburyport sealed the victory with its defense, holding the Vikings scoreless for the final four minutes, with the exception of a 3-point basket by Richard Fecteau with 7.0 seconds remaining. The Clippers had already put the game away at that point, outscoring Triton 10-0 over the previous 3:53.
"That's who we are," Newburyport coach Tom L'Italien said. "We're not an overly talented offensive team. We score when we need to, and we feed off our defense."
Colby Morris led the Clippers with 18 points. Brett Fontaine (15 points) and brother Colton (12 points) also scored in double-figures for the Clippers. Only five Clippers found their way onto the score sheet, as they were playing without injured starter Ian Michaels and backup center Dillon Guthro. Matt Canning (7 points) and Dan Baribeault (4 points) played additional minutes in their stead.
"One of the keys was the next man up," L'Italien said. "With Guthro and Michaels out, we looked to Dan, Adam (Traxler) and Matt to play roles. They helped us out a lot. It could've been a different outcome. They've been paying their dues in practice, and they gave us some depth."
Triton trailed 27-25 at halftime and 40-34 after three quarters. Richard Fecteau led the Vikings (4-10) with 19 points. Jedd Hutchins and John Manning had five points each. Derek Paquette, Alex Mandragouras and Blaise Whitman had four points each.
Triton has lost five in a row under first-year coach Dave Clay.
"Dave's doing a great job with their kids," L'Italien said. "They're athletic, they play hard, and they're tough. We talked about holding them under 50 points, which we did. We buckled down in the second half and played better."
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