Guillotte Leads Drury Boys to Win in Opener

AMHERST, Mass. -- The Drury boys basketball team Saturday used 22 points from Louis Guillotte and a couple of big second-half runs to hand Palmer a 58-49 loss in the Pioneer Valley Tip-Off Classic at the University of Massachusetts.

 

Tim Brazeau scored 10 points to go along with 10 rebounds and three blocks in the win.

 

Drury overcame a 16-point effort from Palmer's Jack Letendre, who scored 10 points in the first half to keep the Panthers within one-point of the Blue Devils.

 

That changed quickly in the third quarter.

 

After Palmer briefly led, 29-28, Drury went on a 14-3 run to open up its first 10-point margin at 42-32.

 

Brazeau got things started with a bucket in the post to retake the lead. He had another basket in the run, which ended when Ben Moulton scored to make it a 10-point lead.

 

Palmer then scored the next seven, a run that went into the third quarter and cut Drury's lead to 42-23 when Michael Ziemba put back an offensive rebound.

 

But Drury answered with a quick six to re-establish a nine-point lead on Guillotte's transition basket, and Palmer never got closer than seven the rest of the way.

 

Palmer senior Letendre capped a back-and-forth first half with a bucket at the horn to send the Panthers into the locker room trailing Drury, 26-25.

 

The Blue Devils jumped out to an early 11-4 lead when Logan Davis set up Brazeau for a bucket midway through the first quarter.

 

But Palmer answered with an 11-2 run to take a 15-13 advantage when Letendre drove the lane for a bucket with 1 minute, 38 seconds left.

 

At the other end, Guillotte answered with a putback and a 3-pointer to give Drury a three-point lead after one.

 

Palmer started the second quarter with an 8-2 run to lead 23-20 when Brady Stahelski stole the ball and scored in transition.

 

Ben Moulton answered for Drury a transition basket of his own. Then he put back a rebound to give the Blue Devils the lead. And Amont David capped a 6-0 spurt with a basket in transition to give Drury a 26-23 lead before Letendre's buzzer-beater.

 

Drury (1-0) goes to Monument Mountain on Monday.