BARRE — The Middlebury Union High School boys’ basketball team opened its season on Friday with a comeback 59-57 win at Spaulding.
The Tigers trailed, 42-35 entering the fourth quarter, and finally tied the game in the late going at 57-57.
MUHS had the ball in the final minute with a chance to take the lead, but the Tide held and got the ball back with six seconds remaining — but then called for a timeout despite having used all of the team’s allotment.
Spaulding was assessed a technical foul for that infraction, and Tiger junior point guard Gabe Dunn sank two free throws to create the final margin. The Tigers were also awarded the ball and were able to inbound and run out the clock.
The Tigers led after one period, 14-12, but were outscored in the second quarter as Spaulding went up by 26-21 at the break. The Tide stretched the lead to double digits before MUHS cut it back down to seven entering the final period.
Senior Tyler Buxton led MUHS with 18 points, Dunn finished with 15, and freshman Max Alberts debuted with 11. Coach John Howe said junior center Mason Kaufmann had a strong game on the boards and pulled down a key rebound in the late going.
For Spaulding, which like the Tigers has dropped down from Division I to play in the D-II playoffs, Matt Tacey tossed in 16 points, and Dylan Estivill and Taylor D’Agostino each scored 12.
Coach John Howe said the Tigers struggled a bit on offense, but he was happier with the defensive effort.
“We were caught off-guard, they were much quicker than expected. We didn’t execute our offense as well as I would have liked,” Howe said. “We saw some excellent early-season defense, and can only get better from here.”