Before the season began, Lake Region coach Mike Francoeur didn’t want to talk too much about his 6’2″ senior transfer from Florida, though he had a tough time hiding his belief that he had something special.
There was the element of the unknown, though. While Francoeur knew Derek Mayo was a talented ball player, Mayo’s effect on the team chemistry and his response to big-game pressure remained unproven.
Through six games, Mayo has shown he’s a great fit for the Lakers (5-1). His unselfish play and his ability to drive and dish has helped Lake Region – which returned 11 varsity players from last year’s team that lost in the quarterfinals – move from a team fighting for a postseason spot to one that looks like a Western Maine Class B top contender in the early going.
Lake Region senior guard Phil Leighton sure appreciates his new teammate.
“He does everything,” Leighton said after Saturday’s 68-66 win over Cape Elizabeth. “He does all the little things for the team. He’s our X-factor. We didn’t really have a true point guard and he came in. He doesn’t care about stats at all. He just wants to win.”
And while Francoeur loves Mayo’s pass-first mentality, he wouldn’t mind seeing him fire up a few more shots.
“He’s such a nice kid, but he just wants to do what Coach Francoeur wants him to do,” Francoeur said. “I think tonight he took the game over. We talked about that before the game, that maybe it was time for him to become more of an offensive threat.”
Mayo sparked a third-quarter surge that put the Lakers in control against the Capers. He drew a charge midway through the quarter that led to a Leighton basket on the ensuing possession. Then, after being whistled for a phantom backcourt violation (the referee clearly confused the midcourt line with another line on the floor), Mayo responded with a 3-pointer and a fast-break layup in a 17-second span to give his team a nine-point lead. He scored all 10 of his points in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, after flashing what he can do offensively when he has to, Mayo returned to his role as distributor and facilitator. Cape coach Jim Ray certainly took notice of what he brings to the Lake Region team.
“The Mayo kid coming in to play the point for them really rounds that group out,” Ray said.
In a conference with Cape, Yarmouth, Falmouth and Greely, the Lakers have plenty of work in front of them over the next two months, but their play thus far suggests they will be a major factor for the first time in several years. The combination of a talented, veteran squad and Mayo’s transfer has loads of potential.
“This team was 7-11 last year and this is the same group of kids, except for Derek,” Francoeur said.
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