By Nathaniel Ford

NORTHWOOD – The Bears defended their home court and improved to 3-1 with their 17-point victory, 56-39, over the visiting Knights. 

Coe-Brown was powered by their defense, holding the Knights to a season-low 39 points. 

“Ryan [Kouchoukos] had a phenomenal night defensively, and so did James [McKane],” said head coach David Smith. 

Both were tasked with a tough matchup guarding Brady Moulton, Kingwood’s top scorer averaging 15 points per game. While he finished the game with 16 points, he was contained throughout the night at big moments, which allowed the Bears to go on some crucial runs. 

Coe-Brown came out scoring early, recording 20 points in the first quarter. This offensive attack was led by senior Quinn Salter, who found success attacking the Kingswood zone. 

“I had 10 quick points, and it got the team going pretty well,” said Salter. He had half of their points through the first, while Kouchoukos added 6 as well. The Bears closed the quarter on a 6-0 run led by 4 points from Salter, and their lead was extended to 20-13 entering the second.

In the second, Moulton got going, scoring all 7 Kingswood points. This was not enough to cut down the lead at all, and a big reason for that was Coe-Brown’s Mikey Flanagan. 

“Mikey came off the bench and gave us a big lift,” said Smith. He recorded 10 points in the quarter and outdueled Moulton to help extend the Bears’ lead to 33-20 entering the break.

The Knights showed some life coming out in the third quarter. They went on a quick 5-0 run in the first 1:30, which forced a Coe-Brown timeout and cut the lead to eight points. 

Whatever Smith said in that timeout worked perfectly, and the team bounced right back. They went on an 8-0 run of their own, highlighted by 6 points from Jack Matson. This brought their lead right back up, and they entered the final quarter ahead 41-30.

The Bears defense proved itself once again in the fourth quarter, holding the Knights to just 9 points. Their lead was already far too great, and it was only extended by two three-pointers from All-State guard Connor Bagnell. 

When all was said and done, Coe-Brown took care of business in the fourth and came away with a 56-39 victory, giving them their third win of the season. 

“We needed this coming off Christmas break. Now we’re just in it full-time ready to go,” said Salter. 

Over break, Coe-Brown attended the Mike Lee Holiday Basketball Bash at Farmington High School. They were eliminated by Profile, the eventual champions, in the quarterfinals, and this game was a much-needed win. 

The Bears were led by a very balanced scoring output, with Salter leading the way with 14 points. Matson (12) and Flanagan (10) each added double figures of their own.

Kingswood was paced by a game-high 16 points from Moulton. Sophomore Thomas Benker chipped in with 10 points as well.

Coe-Brown improves to 3-1, and they look to come away with a victory on the road against Hanover this Friday. 

“We’ve got a tough venture as we go to Hanover. They’ve been playing really well,” said Smith. 

They are 5-1 on the season, with their one loss coming to a tough Merrimack Valley team on the road. 

Kingswood looks to stop a two-game skid as they host the Bow Falcons this Friday. Bow is a tough 2-2 team led by standout sophomore Jake Reardon.