Maine Holds Off Capital City to Earn Key Road Win

WASHINGTON - The Maine Celtics held off a Capital City Go-Go comeback to earn a key 122-118 road win on Monday.

Maine improved to 5-5 in the regular season and snapped a three-game losing streak with the win. It was a rare home loss for the Go-Go (4-3), who were 9-2 overall at home and winners of their last ten games in D.C. before Monday's defeat. Maine made 15-38 (39.5%) shots from beyond the arc and 45-95 (47.4%) from the floor.

Boston Celtics assignment player Baylor Scheierman led Maine with a near triple-double with 25 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds. JD Davison added 25 points to go with six assists and four rebounds. Jay Scrubb provided 21 points, four rebounds, three assists, and three steals off the bench for Maine.

Erik Stevenson led Capital City with a game-high 30 points, six assists, and four rebounds. Jalen McDaniels added 21 points and 16 rebounds for the Go-Go. Capital City shot 44-85 (51.8%) from the floor.

Hason Ward earned the start at center for Maine and kicked off the game with back to back dunks, a sign of things to come. Ward had nine points for the Celtics in the early goings. Jay Scrubb checked into the game and quickly knocked down a triple to give Maine a 21-15 lead with 7:24 to go in the opening quarter. Jalen McDaniels was also hot to start, shooting 4-5 from the field for nine first quarter points as Capital City erased an 8-point lead to tie the game with under two minutes to go in the opening quarter. A buzzer-beating triple by Scrubb capped off a 13-point quarter for the Celtics guard as Maine held a 39-36 lead through one. Maine assisted on 13 of its 15 made shots in the quarter.

A made layup by Tristan Enaruna four minutes into the second quarter gave Maine a 10-point lead. Baylor Scheierman buried a triple on the next possession as Maine went on a 12-0 run to open up a 64-44 lead with under six minutes to go in the first half. Scheierman connected on five of his six shots from deep for 15 first half points. Capital City would respond with a 12-0 run of their own, as Jaylen Nowell scored with 2:46 left in the second to cut the lead down to 8. With just 1.1 seconds left on the clock, Scheierman threw a full court pass to JD Davison for a buzzer-beating slam as Maine led the Go-Go 74-61 at the break. Scrubb led Maine with 18 points and Davison added 15 points as the Celtics connected on 11 of 20 shots from beyond the arc.

Capital City opened the second half on a 9-2 run as Nowell's three-point play at the 8:00 mark of the third quarter brought the Go-Go within six. Davison continued to score at will, sending the defender past on a ball fake to put Maine back up by double digits, 84-73 with 5:36 remaining in the third quarter. Maine shot just 29% from the floor and was outscored by Capital City 24-18 in the lowest scoring quarter of the game. The Celtics held on to a 92-85 lead to begin the fourth quarter.

Erik Stevenson and McDaniels each scored for the Go-Go to start the fourth quarter and bring Capital City within three of Maine. The Celtics responded with three straight shots from deep, two of them coming from Scheierman to lead 101-89 with 8:12 remaining. Capital City refused to go away as John Butler Jr. buried a three-pointer with 3:55 to play to pull the Go-Go within five. With 2:48 left, Butler Jr. connected on another one from deep to pull within two as Capital City continued an 11-0 run. Scheierman's eighth three-pointer of the game was a clutch response for Maine as the two teams traded long balls. Leading 116-113, Davison drove and rolled one in to give Maine a 118-113 commanding lead with 17.2 seconds left in the game. Anton Watson made both of his free throws with under 11 seconds to play to help secure a 122-118 win over the Go-Go.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Baylor Scheierman was the Player of the Game after leading Maine with 25 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. The 2024 first round draft pick made 8-15 shots from beyond the arc.

INJURY REPORT: Drew Peterson (OUT) - Injury/Illness, Donald Carey Jr. (OUT) - Injury/Illness

THE ROAD AHEAD: Maine returns home on Thursday night for the first of two games against College Park at 7 p.m. The Celtics will meet the Skyhawks again on Saturday at 1 p.m. before battling Motor City on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Portland Expo.