AUGUSTA — The Richmond boys’ basketball team couldn’t have dreamed of a better start.
The third-ranked Bobcats scored the first 22 points and held Greenville without a point in the first quarter on their way to a 63-47 win in a Western Class D semifinal Wednesday at the Augusta Civic Center.
Additional Photos
“After coming out so sloppy against Elan (in the regional quarterfinals), it was really important to come out and put them away early,” said Richmond forward Tom Carter, who finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Richmond (15-3) advanced to the regional final at 2:45 p.m. Saturday against No. 5 Vinalhaven, which ousted top-ranked Forest Hills, 53-44. The Bobcats have won the last three regional titles and four of the last five.
No. 2 Greenville ended the season at 13-7.
Carter got the Bobcats going early, scoring five points in the first two minutes and finishing the quarter with seven. He and center Kyle O’Brien dominated in the paint and staked the Bobcats to a 22-0 lead after the first quarter.
“We came out hard,” said O’Brien, who had eight points in the first quarter. “That’s what we wanted to do and we did it.”
Richmond struggled to get going in its 49-34 quarterfinal win over Elan on Saturday. The Bobcats scored just nine points in the first quarter of that game. Against Greenville, Richmond had nine points after four minutes.
Greenville didn’t score until Tony DiAngelo hit a foul shot six seconds into the second quarter. The Lakers didn’t get their first field goal until Alex Jardine made a 3-pointer with 4:54 left in the second.
“We have gone through this earlier in the year, where you get to a point where you just can’t make the ball go in the hoop,” Greenville Coach Paul Breton said. “What do you do after that?”
DiAngelo, who scored 34 points in Greenville’s 68-67 quarterfinal win over Valley, was held to 20 points by the Bobcats. Carter played DiAngelo man-to-man for much of the game.
“We’ve played him twice, and I think down at Richmond, Tommy did a real good job against him,” Richmond Coach Phil Houdlette said. “Then when we went up to Greenville, Tony had 19, but he only had two field goals in the second half; he went to the line a lot. Tommy plays great defense. Straight up.”
Richmond dominated in the paint, thanks to the 6-3 Carter and the 6-5 O’Brien. Greenville, which had just two starters over 6-feet, couldn’t contend. O’Brien finished with 21 points and 20 rebounds.
“We are a pretty tall team,” Carter said. “I’m not sure any team in Western Class D can stay with us height-wise. And it’s not just me and Kyle, either. Wade (Tuttle) is over six feet and Ben (Carver) is over six feet. It’s definitely an advantage.”
Tuttle added 11 points for Richmond.
Alex Jardine had 14 points and Richard DerBoghsian scored 11 for Greenville.
Scott Martin — 621-5618
smartin@centralmaine.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
