Scarborough’s Andy Pogar started the fourth quarter with three straight hoops Tuesday, cutting Biddeford’s lead to 14. It was the visiting Red Storm’s last legitimate chance at a run against the Tigers, and it looked as though the comeback might continue when teammate Jason Philbrick tipped in a rebound with six minutes to go in the game.
The basket was waved off, however, on an over-the-back call, and the momentum shifted back to the hosts, who extended the margin to nearly 20 in the following two minutes. Sixth-seeded Biddeford (10-9) went on to win, 68-46, in a Class A boys basketball preliminary state tournament game.
“They’re not a good match-up for us because they play a lot of guards and they shoot the three a lot,” said Biddeford coach Mike Fecteau. “(But) we played great defense. We forced them outside.”
Fecteau’s assessment was on the mark. The Tigers defense pressured 11th-ranked Scarborough (5-14) from the contest’s opening moments, forcing errant passes and not allowing second shots.
Meanwhile, four Biddeford seniors hit for double figures. Big man Bennie Jones had 16, including a pair of dunks, but it was one of his teammates who surprised Scarborough coach Matt Townsend.
“We did a good job with Jones. This time we tried to go at him and make that dump pass,” the coach said. “We put (Taylor) Sabo on (Ernie) Dore because he killed us last game. Then (Josh) Morin turns around and gets 17… and that was huge. We weren’t planning on that happening.”
Morin had a pair of first-quarter hoops to help his team to an early 12-6 lead. Jordan Hicks (eight points) drove in for two and Spencer Murray (four points) scored off a Philbrick pass to bring the Red Storm to within three as the opening quarter ended.
But a put-back from the 6-foot-5 Jones started the second period, and that was followed three minutes later by a fast-break slam on a dish from Morin. Seconds later Dore (13 points) hit a three-pointer and Scarborough was in a 27-13 hole.
Chris Hughes (seven points) buried a three of his own and Hicks completed a traditional three-point play to close the gap to nine, but the Tigers’ free throws gave them a 13-point lead at intermission.
Biddeford went back in to Jones to start the second half, and he made the score 41-23 with another dunk midway through the third. Pogar (12 points) provided a spark to start the final period, and Hicks steal, lay-up and foul shot gave the Red Storm another boost with 3:02 to go.
A Tigers timeout followed and Dore’s three-point play and two hoops from Morin squashed the uprising.
“We came out feeling confident, but we had lapses defensively,” said Hicks. “Offensively we’ve had better games.”
Townsend said that, despite the bumpy ride this season, he is proud of his team.
“As human beings I couldn’t ask for a better group,” he said. “They came to me face-to-face and said, ‘What can I do, coach?’ and they played different roles.”
With a number of the key players underclassmen, Hicks feels that Scarborough will be a contender next season.
“I’ve enjoyed playing with these guys. It’s a great group,” said the junior. “Next year we look to be top five in the SMAA.”
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