RUMFORD — Jacob Hickey knew his goal was within reach, but the Winthrop senior was careful not to disrupt the flow of the game trying to achieve it on Tuesday in Mountain Valley Conference action.

Hickey scored a game-high 26 points and surpassed 1,000 for his career with his 13th point of the night to help Winthrop pull away for a 76-55 win over Mountain Valley at Puiia Gymnasium.

It certainly wasn’t a walk-over. The score was tied or changed sides 16 times in the middle quarters before Winthrop pulled away with an 18-3 run to open up a double-digit lead.

“It was great and exciting. It’s quite an accomplishment and very humbling,” said Hickey.

After having been held scoreless in the first quarter, Hickey scored 13 straight in the second quarter. The streak began with a three pointer and a conventional three-point play, a pair of baskets and then he reached the milestone by draining a 3-pointer with 4:52 remaining in the first half.

“It’s important for us to get every one involved,” said Hickey, who joins former Winthrop players TJ Cauotte (1,052), Sam Leclerc (1,194), Jeff Love (1,070) and Dennis Clark (1,527) in the elusive club.

“When I get doubled off a screen, then we can dump the ball inside,” Hickey said. “We started slow tonight, but our big men really did a good job.”

Mountain Valley (0-2) was equally intent to execute its own game plan and had taken a 40-38 lead on a trey by Micheal Pare (11 points, three 3s), but then the well went dry. Jacob Blanchard (14 points) finally scored a conventional three-point play, with 1:05 left in the third quarter.

“We knew they had an advantage inside. We didn’t want to front them (and get beat over top),” said Mountain Valley coach Tom Danylik, whose team lost at Boothbay by three points in its opener. “I felt we had done a god job of boxing out in the first half, but we let things slip away and gave up to many easy baskets in third quarter and beginning of the fourth.”

Wnthrop tied the score n a power move by Wood and a three-point play by Pazdziorko to take full control of the action and it never looked back. The Ramblers made 20 of 25 free throws in the game — 12 of 14 inn middle quarters — and shot 50 percent from the field.

Mountain Valley’s Keegan Davis scored 13 points, 3-3s to keep the Ramblers on the run. The Falcons had jumped out to an 18-8 lead after one quarter. Mountain Valley was limited to one shot on several occasions and hindered itself with 39 percent shooting, made 6of 12 free throws, and had 25 turnovers.

“Mountain Valley is a well-coached team and we new it would be a battle,” Winthrop coach Todd McArthur said. “We have a lot to work on. There are things that should have been addressed at this point.”

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