AUBURN — Edward Little endured the dreaded bye on opening night of the KVAC boys’ basketball season.

In other words, the Red Eddies didn’t get a chance to bid bye-bye, farewell, scram, adios or vamos to those annual first-game jitters.

Cony already shook the requisite uncertainty and unforced errors from its system. That might explain why it took the two-time defending Eastern Class A champion Eddies most of the night before shaking off the Rams, 59-47.

EL twice gave away most of a double-digit lead. The cushion was only four points at halftime and six with 3:16 remaining before the Eddies inched away.

“We told our guys, ‘This is a much better team than you saw Friday night,’ ” EL coach Mike Adams said of Cony, which lost 51-50 to Lewiston in its opener.

Likewise, the Eddies — a tantalizing mix of tournament-tested veterans and evolving role players — are bound to have better nights in January and February.

Missed free throws (nine) and excessive turnovers (20) aside, EL wielded too much firepower for Cony (0-2).

Sophomore Quin Leary led EL with 20 points. His brother, senior Bo Leary, added 14 points and nearly out-rebounded the Rams by himself with 23.

Timmy Mains steered the ship at point guard to the tune of 16 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and six steals. Mains hit three 3-pointers, including two in a 62-second span of the third period.

“Having Bo and Quin in there opens up the outside,” Mains said. “That makes it easier.”

EL will need that perimeter prowess to keep league rivals honest and dissuade them from double-teaming the brothers in the paint.

Mains and Cody Nicholas were the only Eddies to hit from beyond the arc in the first half.

“We were 2-for-11 (at that point) and missed a lot of open shots,” Adams said. “There’s a reason it’s open.”

Reason A: Quin Leary, who scored a dozen before the break. Reason B: Bo Leary, who added eight points and ruled the glass with an iron fist.

Cony didn’t collect an offensive rebound until the third quarter. The Eddies allowed only one additional second opportunity and owned the overall category by a 50-25 margin.

Walker Cooper led all scorers with 22 points and five of Cony’s seven 3-pointers.

The 6-foot-6 junior is nursing a stress fracture that kept him sidelined for most of the Lewiston game. After sitting much of the first quarter, Cooper rarely left the floor against EL.

“He’s the one guy we didn’t want shooting,” Mains said.

Senior point guard Anthony Roberts was EL’s other concern. Exhibiting skills that conceal his status as a newcomer to varsity basketball, Roberts racked up 15 points, five steals and five assists.

Mains and Roberts were matched up most of the night.

“If you enjoy high school basketball, you have to love that matchup,” Adams said. “(Roberts) is the real deal. It’s too bad a kid like that won’t get the chance to play four years.”

Quin Leary’s inside bucket gave EL its first lead at 11-10 late in the opening quarter.

Keith Priest canned a 3-pointer to pull Cony even at 15 in the second before EL embarked on an 11-1 run.

Mains scored the two key hoops in that sequence, first on a layup by way of Ian Therriault, then a 3-pointer after Bo Leary’s subsequent steal.

EL led 28-24 at half without the luxury of attempting a free throw.

And there were other areas where life didn’t mirror midseason form.

“I’m not sure how many times we got a rebound and then immediately threw the ball away,” Adams said.

The Eddies didn’t sink a shot from the stripe until the fourth, when they went a spotty 10-for-17 to stave off Cony’s final run.

EL scored seven straight points after Cooper’s trey trimmed the lead for 48-42.

“I don’t think he scored at all against Lewiston,” Adams said of Cooper. “And look what he did tonight.”

koakes@sunjournal.com

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