The Maine-Presque Isle mens' basketball team knows that when it faces Central Maine, it must take care of pressure; the Owls were successful in its mission Saturday evening, converting in transition enough times to defeat the Mustangs, 73-61.  

Maine-Presque Isle grabbed a six-point advantage early in the first stanza behind finishes from freshman Kevin Collins and sophomore Brandon McGill.  Sophomore guard Nick Lenhard and junior Derek Healy handled the ball and distributed with few errors in the first half, helping the Owls to a 37-27 halftime advantage. 

The Mustangs continued to fight, using the inside presences of Kazre Cummings and Xavier Colbert to trim the lead to four at the halfway mark of the second half.  Maine-Presque Isle continued to get some key layups against pressure, and converted free throws to build the lead back to nine with just under five minutes to play.

Freshman Maurice Harris grabbed some key rebounds to start transitions near the end of the game, and the Owls were able to convert enough plays to finish with the double-digit victory.  Maine-Presque Isle is looking ahead to a brutal week, playing Unity at home Monday before back-to-back road trips to Eastern Maine and Maine-Machias Wednesday and Thursday.