Boys’ Basketball

Mt. Markham 72, Sherburne-Earlville 63 (2 OT)

SHERBURNE – Sherburne-Earlville’s upset bid of unbeaten Mt. Markham came up short in double overtime Tuesday night.

Josh Pugh, the Center State Conference’s most valuable player last season, stuck a three-pointer between two S-E defenders with 1.5 seconds left in regulation to force the initial overtime at 54-54.

“(Pugh) had 29 points when we played them last Saturday, so we knew we had to contain him,” said S-E coach Kevin Vibbard. “He’s a great player, and for the most part we did contain him. He hit a big three, and that’s what good players do.”

The Marauders rode the hot shooting of Sean Boise and Caleb Brown to lead 27-24 at halftime. Boise had 15 at the break and Brown 10.

The Marauders seemed to take command late in the fourth quarter when senior Brett Nelson scored six straight points for his team to make it 53-49. The Marauders made just 3-of-7 free throws in the fourth quarter to keep Mt. Markham in the game.

Brown scored a season-high 21 points to lead S-E (4-9), Boise added 18, and Cody Schraft 11. “We shot much better than we did the other night against them, and our kids should be proud of the way they played,” Vibbard said. “We had them, we just needed to make one more play.”

The Marauders visit Waterville Thursday.