Milford boys basketball hangs on for win over Timberlane

PLAISTOW – Things haven’t been pretty of late for the Milford High School boys basketball team.

But despite the Spartans struggles, they’ve still found ways to win.

Against Timberlane on Wednesday, it was no different, as Milford had just enough to answer every run by the Owls and hang on to a 57-48 win to remain undefeated in Division II.

Evan Ryan led the way for the Spartans with 20 points, including 8 of 11 at the free throw line, while Ryan Banuskevich added 11 points, as he was 7 of 8 at the line. Shane Winnett also had nine points despite dealing with foul trouble, but Milford struggled at times to get into a rhythm on offense.

“I would like to see us get in a better groove,” Milford coach Dan Murray said. “It’s been almost two weeks since we’ve had a practice. We’re just a little rusty. We’re kind of playing street ball to a degree, but when we do play it, we play better out here. When we try to run offense, it’s not as crisp.”

The Spartans led by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter, but three times, Timberlane cut the lead down to four points or less. But whenever the Owls had a chance to get closer, they either turned it over or missed a shot, forcing them to foul Milford (14-0), which went 8 of 10 from the line in the final two minutes.

“We’re pretty much competitive every single night, but to beat a team like this, I think in the moment, we’re going a little too fast,” Timberlane coach Jeffery Baumann said. “That’s maybe a bit of inexperience, and the more we’re in these situations, hopefully, in a couple of weeks, when it matters more, we’re doing the little things and beating a team like this.”

Ryan Doherty led the Owls (8-6) with 14 points, including three 3-pointers, and Samuel Hovan came off the bench to also score 14, three of which came on a 3 with 1:42 to play that cut Milford’s lead to 49-46.

After a Timberlane timeout, the Spartans were able to get two offensive rebounds to keep the next possession alive, and after a foul on the Owls, Jamie Pare hit two free throws. Timberlane turned the ball over on its next four possessions, and Milford scored six straight points to put the game away.

“They hit some big shots, I thought,” Murray said. “They nailed a few 3s, they ran some good offense. Our defense wasn’t to blame in particular.”

Milford looked like it might run away with the game early, as the Spartans went up 12-4 and Timberlane didn’t get its first field goal until 3:27 remained in the first. But the Owls went on a 9-2 run, cutting Milford’s lead to 14-13 on a 3 by Doherty 29 seconds into the second quarter.

Timberlane kept it close the rest of the first half, trailing by no more than five points, and a 3 by Hovan made it a 27-25 lead for Milford at halftime.

Each team opened the second half with a 3, as Nick Gutterson hit one for Milford and Doherty answered for Timberlane. After a pair of free throws by Pare, Doherty hit a putback and a jumper to tie the game at 32.

But with the chance to take the lead, the Owls threw the ball out of bounds, and back-to-back fouls on the defensive end set up a basket by Banuskevich. That basket, plus two more from Zach King, started Milford on a 13-2 run, as the Spartans went up 45-34 on a basket by Ryan with 6:41 remaining in the game.

“We just hit our shots,” Ryan said. “When they’re open, we just hit our shots. In practice, we work on 3s for 20 minutes. When it comes down to the clutch, I don’t think there’s a better team that can put up points.”

Timberlane took a timeout and stormed out of the break with a 7-0 run that got the Owls within four points with 4:36 to play. The teams continued going back and forth until Hovan’s 3 got Timberlane as close as it would get the rest of the way.

“Early on, it looked like they might run away with it, but we gathered ourselves and made a run,” Baumann said. “We’ve done that pretty consistently this year. Obviously, we don’t want to be behind, but we’re going to fight tooth and nail until it’s over.

“That’s the next step for us is beating a team like (Milford) and we’re right there. That’s maybe the hardest step, but we’re right there.”