Aleck Gendreau picked the right time to knock down his first and only 3-pointer on Thursday morning.
The junior guard from Madawaska didn’t have any points heading into the fourth quarter against Fort Fairfield. But as his Owls team looked like it might surrender its lead over the Tigers, Gendreau stepped up in a big way.
Madawaska lost a heartbreaker to Fort Fairfield during the regular season after leading most of the game, and for a few minutes late in the game on Thursday it seemed like history might be repeating itself.
But after the Tigers fought back to take a one-point lead in the final period, the Owls responded.
Madawaska senior guard Isaac Beaulieu knocked down a 3-pointer to regain the lead, and then star freshman Quinn Pelletier added two more with a bucket in transition. That 4-point cushion gave the Owls a tiny bit of breathing room, but not much.
That’s when Gendreau added his first points of the game, in a big way. He added his own 3-pointer to stretch the Madawaska lead to seven and help shut down a Fort Fairfield team that had been surging up to that point.
The Owls went on to win 48-41 in the Class D North semifinal matchup, and now head to the regional championship on Saturday at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
“Aleck all year has kind of done that for us,” Madawaska coach Shawn Pelletier said after the win. “He’s actually led us in scoring a few games during the year. He’s a smart player. He’s a great shooter. He’s got a really good knack for getting into the mid-range, which is a great skill for him.”
Gendreau said the key for him in that moment was a matter of being ready.
“I was there at the right time, so I just shot it,” the junior guard said.
He finished with four points after adding one free-throw later in the fourth quarter.
Gendreau’s coach said the guard has built more confidence after playing an important role in Madawaska’s run to the Class C regional title game a year ago.
“He’s a very even-keeled, very even-tempered kind of guy,” Pelletier said. “And he just knows when to hit it. He knows when we need it.”
The Madawaska coach agreed that Gendreau’s 3-pointer played a critical role in helping the Owls regain momentum and get to a more comfortable place in the game.
“He’s done that all year for us, just stepped up when we needed him,” Pelletier said.
Madawaska was led in scoring once again by freshman Quinn Pelletier, who had a game-high 18 points. Cayden Ala led the way for Fort Fairfield with 14 points.
The Madawaska fans were certainly enjoying the win after traveling over 200 miles one-way to get to Bangor.
“I think we couldn’t do it without the fans,” Gendreau said after the win. “I think the fans are the biggest part.”
