By Paula Roberts
Colton Spear passes the ball to a Panther teammate as Caper Edward Galvin defends. (Paula Roberts photo) |
Cape Elizabeth pulled off an improbable 44-42 win over Medomak Valley in the State Class B boys basketball championship Friday night at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.
Up by six with a little over a minute to play, Medomak spread the floor and waited for the Capers to foul.
The Panthers sank seven of nine foul shots in the first 31 minutes of play, but sealed their own fate, with three different players sinking only one of four in the final minute of play, including missing the front half of two one-on-ones.
“It was tough for everybody. I think these kids came a long way this season. I think they surprised a lot of people. I thought they showed a lot of heart and character. Our work ethic was a big part of why we got where we got. It was definitely a tough one. We are pretty solid up and down. We just came up on the wrong side. I would rather lose by 20. Now we know how Winslow felt,” coach Nick DePatsy said.
Cape jumped out to a 7-0 lead. The Panthers finished the quarter with a 12-2 run to take a 12-9 lead after one. Micah Williamson put Medomak on the boards with a foul shot and basket. Nicholas DePatsy scored on a Williamson feed, Noah Beck settled two shots, including a three, and DePatsy scored a second basket in the rally.
Cape opened the second period with a 6-2 run to take the lead with 2:37 to play. Williamson settled two foul shots for the Panthers and scored on a DePatsy feed to recapture the lead for Medomak 17-15 at the half.
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Zidane McMurrin battles in rebounding action against Cape’s Ethan Murphy. (Paula Roberts photo) |
Cameron Allaire went inside on a Williamson feed to open the third quarter and give the Panthers a four-point lead. Cape Elizabeth scored the next eight points, led by Jack O’Rourke with two 3-pointers. Allaire scored to cut the Caper’s lead to two.
Ethan Murphy scored two foul shots for Cape to boost their lead to four. Allaire scored off the glass and DePatsy scored on a Colton Spear pass to knot the score with three and a half minutes to go. Cape went on a 9-4 run to finish the third with a 34-29 lead.
Medomak Valley scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter to take a five-point lead. Williamson opened the rally with two foul shots, DePatsy nailed a three, Allaire scored on a Williamson feed, and DePatsy made good at the foul line for a three-point play in the Panthers run.
Murphy cut the lead to four with a foul shot. Spear scored on a DePatsy feed to boost the Panther lead to six.
The Capers had a couple of fouls to give before putting Medomak on the line for a one-on-one. Medomak had the chance to go up by eight at the foul line with a minute to play, but missed the front of a one-on-one.
Cape took advantage when Murphy scored the Capers’ first basket of the quarter to cut the lead to four with 53 seconds to play. Allaire put Medomak up by five at the foul line. Caper Finn Bowe hit a big three with 40 seconds to play to cut the lead to two.
Medomak missed again at the foul line, and Cape took full advantage with O’Rourke scoring with 19.5 seconds left to tie the score 42-42. Williamson drove down the middle for the Panthers and attracted lots of contact, but no foul.
Williamson and two Capers crashed to the floor and before they could regain their feet, Ethan Murphy scored the winning basket at the other end at the buzzer for the game winner.
“Some people think I should have taken a time out, and I thought about it, but I had the ball in my point guard’s hand. Micah (Williamson) turned the corner, split two guys, and hit the rim. Some people thought he was fouled. It just didn’t work out,” DePatsy said of the loss. “A different kid stepped up every tournament game. I told the kids they can’t point fingers.”
DePatsy said his seniors, Williamson, Colton Spear, Beck, and Tyler Emerson each brought a different type of leadership. “They all had different roles. Getting respect for their teammates helped to get us where we were,” DePatsy said.
“They were unselfish kids. They didn’t care who scored as long as we got the job down. That made my job a lot easier,” DePatsy said.
DePatsy said he is “hoping the five-class system (proposed by the Maine Principals Association and to be voted on in March) does not go through. I think we have a good nucleus coming back. The JV and freshman teams had a strong season. Playing in two state championships in three years tells you the program is going in the right direction.”
Scoring for Medomak were DePatsy 14 (7R,3A), Allaire 12 (8R,2A,1S), Williamson 9 (6R,4A), Beck 5 (3R), and Spear 2 (3R,2A).
Scoring for Cape were Murphy 14 (5R), Jack O’Rourke 11 (2S), Bowe 7 (4R), Justin Guerrette 4 (8R,2S), Edward Galvin 4 (6R,3S), James Bottomly 3, and Quinn Hewitt 1.
DePatsy is looking forward to next year, with a strong nucleus returning, including seven who played in the state championship loss. “They need to lift to get stronger and quicker. They all have to step it up and get better in the offseason,” DePatsy said.
