Celtics power past Charge! | WGME

CTSY-Maine Celtics

PORTLAND, ME – After taking a four-point lead into halftime, the Maine Celtics outscored the Cleveland Charge 61-45 in the second half for a 108-88 victory, just the second time they’ve held an opponent below 90 points this season.

DJ Steward led Maine (6-6) with 25 points, five rebounds and six assists, shooting 10-17 from the floor and 5-9 from deep. JD Davison added 22 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Drew Peterson scored 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists. James Banks III had 12 points and eight rebounds, while Jordan Walsh had 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Sharife Cooper led Cleveland (5-7) with 22 points, six rebounds and five assists. Zhaire Smith finished with 19 points and Justin Powell scored 16. Aleem Ford had 12 points and six rebounds and Gabe Osabuohien had 10 rebounds and 11 assists.

After committing turnovers on the game’s first three possessions, Banks hit a hook shot to get the night going. Maine’s scores were evenly distributed during the first, while Smith scored six of Cleveland’s first eight, leading to a timeout, at which point the Celtics led 12-8. Inside-out play drove the Celtics from the start; the ball hit the paint frequently, creating passing lanes for kickoffs to open shooters. The Celtics forced the Charge to go 0-for-8 from deep in the first quarter, as Smith and Cooper combined for 14, and Banks scored eight to lead Maine to a 27-20 lead through 12 minutes.

Olin Carter III went on a solo 5-0 run to open the second, then Davison countered with a 1-for-2 and an off-balance three for a solo 5-0 run. The Celtics’ lead extended to double digits early in the frame, and after a response from Powell, Carey Jr. scored his second three of the night to make it an 11-point game. Davison became the first Celtic to reach double figures in scoring, and Banks and Steward joined in soon after as the Celtics led 45-37 at the end of the quarter. Although Cleveland’s deficit hovered between seven and 10 for most of the half, a 6-2 run to the locker room cut Maine’s lead at the half to four, 47-43.

The Charge opened the third quarter on a 9-2 run, giving them a 57-55 lead and raising their overall run to 15-4 spanning the end of the second and the beginning of the third. From that moment on, it was all Celtics; Maine regained the lead on a Peterson three-pointer and never relinquished it the rest of the night. All momentum swung Maine’s way when Davison took control in the final seconds of the third: eight unanswered points from the sophomore guard, capped by a baseline jumper, gave Maine an 11-point lead. , 83-72 heading into the fourth.

Maine took full control of the game following Davison’s fourth-quarter takeover, and Walsh’s corner 3-pointer just inside the nine-minute mark increased the lead to 93-76. The Celtics made a run to open the final quarter, but Cleveland couldn’t respond in kind, and Maine kept its lead close to 20 points throughout the deciding period. Steward stepped up when needed, scoring 10 points in a decisive fourth quarter and helping the Celtics to a comeback victory.

Maine completes a seven-game homestand with the second straight game tomorrow night against the Charge. The Celtics are in Mississauga, Ontario, to take on back-to-back Raptors 905 on Jan. 30-31 before returning home for a Feb. 2 showdown against the Grand Rapids Gold.