Sports Reporter
CARIBOU – Matt Till came out on fire from the perimeter, nailing all four of his three-pointers over the first 12 minutes of the game.
His marksmanship gave the Vikings an early lead they would never relinquish in a 49-29 victory over Bucksport in both teams’ regular season debut.
Staff photo/Kevin Sjoberg
Cameron Anderson goes up strong to the rim, while teammate Matt Till trails the play, in Caribou’s 49-29 victory over Bucksport.
“Matt hitting those shots was important because typically we are a slow-starting team,” said Caribou coach Chris Casavant. “Bucksport started in a zone and he got us off to a quick start, and that was big.”
Till connected on his first two three-pointers in the first two minutes of the game, staking the Vikes to a 6-0 lead. When Bucksport got to within five points early in the second quarter on a Mat Swazey hoop, Till drained two more from beyond the arc to up the lead to 22-11.
Bucksport never got closer than seven points the rest of the way.
In the third quarter, with a couple Viking players in foul trouble, the Caribou bench responded with some strong play and the lead grew the remainder of the game.
Branden Holdsworth led the reserves with four points, two assists, two steals and seven rebounds, all coming on the defensive end. Jon Ouellette hit a couple three-pointers in the second half, while Chad Caverhill and Stephen St. Peter each chipped in with two points. Caverhill notched three assists, while St. Peter also had three rebounds, two assists and a steal.
“We increased the lead with subs on the floor, so that was great to see,” Casavant said.
Till finished with 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting from the floor. Cameron Anderson battled foul trouble throughout and totaled seven points, while Chris Nadeau had four assists and six rebounds.
The Vikes hosted Fort Kent last night and are on the road for games at Old Town Friday and at Mattanawcook Saturday.
Next Wednesday, Caribou hosts Presque Isle at 7 p.m.
