BETHEL — Telstar couldn’t pull off another fourth-quarter miracle on Wednesday night, but the fact that the Rebels now believe in them is a huge step.

Jeremiah Richardson’s half-court bank shot in the closing seconds wasn’t enough to topple undefeated Wiscasset, which overcame 26 turnovers and shaky shooting and escaped with a 47-45 victory in MVC boys’ basketball.

Ethan James, a 6-foot-6 junior center, led the Wolverines (3-0) with 25 points and 17 rebounds. Brandon Sprague scored six of his 12 points in the fourth quarter.

“I think we sneaked that one out here,” Wiscasset coach Dana Lawrence said. “We couldn’t put them away. Offensively we weren’t clicking tonight, but some of that was their scrappy defense.”

Telstar (1-2) rallied from a 14-point deficit in the final four minutes of regulation and ran away from Mt. Abram in overtime on Monday. This time the Rebels rallied from five down to tie it in the fourth before James and Sprague combined for six consecutive points in a 39-second span.

Richardson’s bomb left Telstar with time to foul. Bryson Grover sank the second half of the double bonus with two-tenths of a second remaining to close it out.

Jarrett Bean scored 15 points, including four 3-pointers, and hauled down 12 rebounds for the Rebels. Richardson racked up nine of his 11 points in the final period to go along with 10 boards, four steals and three blocked shots.

“When you lose for a long time, you get used to losing. Games like this help,” Telstar coach Mike Pelletier said. “Win or lose, they’re believing. I think Wiscasset is going to be a top-four team. That’s something to build on. We don’t have a senior.”

Telstar’s largest cushion was 8-3 in the first quarter. James then erupted for a dozen unanswered points to give Wiscasset its biggest edge of the night at seven.

The Rebels answered with 10 consecutive points to reclaim the lead, including back-to-back 3-pointers by Blake Rothwell and Bean. Back stormed the Wolverines with a 6-0 surge, keyed by Grant Hefler with four points off the bench.

“In the past we’ve been on the losing end of those runs and haven’t been able to respond, but I’m starting to see their confidence,” Pelletier said. “They believe they can get punched a little bit and fight back. They have the manpower and the self-confidence to go, ‘You know what? We’re alright,’ instead of folding up. That’s a huge step.”

Streaks were the theme after intermission, as well.

Wiscasset led 22-20 at the half before Telstar scored the first six out of the locker room. Tanner Wheeler (seven points, five rebounds, five assists) found Avry Griffin for an inside bucket and located Bean for a 3-pointer.

The Wolverines missed their first eight shots of the half, including three blocks from Richardson and Wheeler.

“They made us earn everything we got,” Lawrence said. “We didn’t shoot the ball well. A lot of turnovers, and a lot of them forced but a lot of them unforced.”

James jolted momentum in the other direction by chalking up six in a 10-0 Wiscasset response. Grover added a basket and two assists in that sequence.

Bean rained down another trey and Richardson banked in a hook shot to pull Telstar within a point, but Sprague began his late surge with a 3-pointer from the right corner for a 35-31 lead going into the fourth.

Richardson pulled Telstar even at 40 courtesy of a bounce pass inside from Griffin with 3:35 left. The Rebels missed two free throws that could have provided the lead before James scored on a put-back with 2:02 to go.

Sprague drove for two and a foul with 1:34 left. He missed the free throw, but James cleaned up for a 46-40 edge.

“They’re solid. They’re big. They’re huge,” Pelletier said of Wiscasset, which edged perennial MVC and Class C South power Boothbay at home on Monday.

The Wolverines shot 18-for-57 (32 percent) from the field and 8-of-21 (38 percent) from the line for an encore.

“We didn’t have a good practice. It didn’t carry over the way I would have liked it to,” Lawrence said. “But that’s the best start in my coaching career. We like to think we’re getting better every game.”

Telstar, which suits up only eight varsity players, won six games a year ago and was edged out for the final regional playoff spot in the last minute of the regular season.

“We were believing it was going to be another (comeback),” Pelletier said. “We’ve got to execute a little better in the pressure. We’re not very deep, but they kept battling. I really like this team. We’ve just got to execute. They’re coming.”

koakes@sunjournal.com

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