DURHAM — A slow start was no obstacle for the hosts of the Oyster River Holiday Classic.
After being held to one field goal in the first quarter, Oyster River High School outscored Winnacunnet 21-9 in the second and collected a 59-51 first-round victory in the annual boys basketball tournament.
Oyster River (3-0 in Class I) used a game-high 19 points and 13 rebounds from Trevor Maynard to advance to today's semifinals against Spaulding (8:30 p.m.). The Red Raiders advanced with a 60-55 win over Kennebunk, Maine, in earlier action. Spaulding's Lucas Croteau set tournament records with 40 points and 10 3-pointers.
Sophomore Kyle Ratcliffe paced Winnacunnet (2-0 in Class L) with 14 points. The Warriors will play Kennebunk in a consolation game today (5:30 p.m.).
"We were able to jump out early on them, but (Oyster River) is a very good team and we knew that despite the early lead they were going to fight their way back in it," Warriors coach Jay McKenna said. "We weren't as sharp as we needed to be to play with a team of this level."