View 15 photos

BRUNSWICK — The Edward Little boys basketball team had already seen an eight-point lead dissipate at end of the first half, so when Brunswick started to chip away at another eight-point deficit late in the fourth quarter, the visiting Red Eddies made sure they wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

Senior forward Akol Maiwen scored six points to go with an offensive rebound and a steal in the final two minutes, senior guard Cedric Makélélé knocked down a pair of free throws after helping force a Brunswick turnover, and Edward Little held on for a 57-48 win.

“It’s really big on guys connecting and understanding (when) we’re not doing the little things. Working on it, so we can close that (run),” Maiwen said. “Not putting our heads down and shutting out the game. Coming back together, working with each other, so we can extend that lead.”

Carson Veilleux, a junior forward, led the Red Eddies with 16 points (two 3-pointers) and eight rebounds. Maiwen finished with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists, and Makélélé dropped in 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

It was the fourth straight victory for Edward Little (4-2), which opened the season with losses to Camden Hills and York, two of the top contenders in Class A North and B South, respectively.

Brendan Shaw, a senior guard, scored 17 points (three 3-pointers) for the Dragons (4-2), who lost at home for the first time this season.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• With three catch-and-shoot baskets and three Maiwen free throws, Edward Little took a 25-17 lead with 2:19 left in the second quarter, the first multiple possession advantage by either team since EL led 6-0.

• After a timeout, three assists from Rylan Ley (two points, eight rebounds) and a coast-to-coast bucket from Owen McGrath (13 points, six steals, two assists) helped Brunswick close the half on an 11-2 run and take a 28-27 lead at the break.

• The Dragons went cold in the third quarter (0 for 9 from the field), while the Red Eddies heated up. Julian Barajas found Veilleux for two jumpers, and Maiwen passed to Christian Rodriguez and Veilleux for 3-pointers. EL outscored the hosts 14-4 and led by as much as 11.

“That was probably the best we’ve played as a team on the offensive end so far this year,” Edward Little coach James Philbrook said. “Did a good job of moving the basketball, just hitting the open guy, getting a lot of paint touches, which is great, but then making a strong pass out and guys knocking down shots. It’s only going to help our confidence.”

• EL’s 49-41 lead with less than two minutes remaining narrowed to 49-45 with back-to-back buckets by Shaw. On the following possession, Maiwen gathered his own missed shot, and about 25 seconds later he got another opportunity to score down low. Two Brunswick fouls sent EL to the line, and Maiwen iced the game with a steal and lay-in.

“They want to play fast, they want to play in transition, and they’re really athletic, so I think we’re a lot alike in that way,” Brunswick coach Ben Clark said. “I thought today they were clearly the better team. They played really hard. They made big shots when they needed to. And offensively, we just kind of struggled all night.”