Devils Survive Comeback Scare by Braves
NORTH ADAMS, Mass — The good news is the Drury boys' basketball team defeated Taconic on Tuesday night. The bad news is the Blue Devils nearly blew a 16-point halftime lead in doing so.Up 29-13 at the half, Drury was outscored 40-25 in the final two quarters when the Braves turned the game around with their full-court press. The visitors went off for 24 points in the fourth quarter, but senior forward Robert Jutras hit a pair of free throws with five seconds left to secure a 54-53 win for the Blue Devils at Bucky Bullett Gymnasium.
"They played with some urgency at the end," Drury head coach Jack Racette said. "They were behind by a lot, but they came back and played with a lot of energy. I was proud of us in the third quarter, though. They scored the first eight points of the third quarter, but we came back and maintained a 10-point lead heading into the fourth."
Racette said his team ran into trouble in the fourth quarter when Taconic (1-7) sped up the pace of the game, forcing the Devils (4-4) into making too many turnovers.
"They were pressing hard, and we just made some mental mistakes," Racette said. "It was a good win to have. I think we're going to be in close games a lot, so it was nice to see us hang on and win."
Junior forward Nolan Bird led Drury with 13 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Jutras also had a solid game, finishing with 10 points, six boards and three assists. Classmate Joel Giorgi chipped in with 10 points and a team-high 12 rebounds.
The Braves were led by Shaquille Ardrey with 15 points, while Drew Scace and Matt Norman scored 13 and 10 points, respectively.
The Blue Devils next play at North Division rival Pittsfield at 7 p.m. on Friday.