PORTLAND – Louie DiStasio of Cheverus picked up his third foul just as his team started to show some life late in the second quarter.
Take him out before the half to be safe? Not a chance. Coach Bob Brown wasn’t about to put the team’s best player on the bench.
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Moments later, DiStasio nailed a 3-point in the midst of a 15-2 run to close the first half and give the Stags their first lead, which they added to in the second half en route to a 49-40 win over previously unbeaten Deering in a Western Class A boys’ basketball game at Keegan Gymnasium Friday night.
The game matched the top two teams in the Heal point standings. Deering (9-1) entered No. 1, ahead of the defending regional champion Stags (8-2), who had lost two of their last three games.
“This was a wake-up call,” said Cheverus point guard Michael Flaherty. “Losing those games were tough. We finally ran our offense and got stops on defense.”
Early on, Deering seemed poised to blow out the Stags in their own gym. The Rams jumped to a 5-0 lead. Soon it was 10-2, and then 16-4.
Guard Jon Amabile scored 13 points, which included three 3-pointers in the first quarter. Labson Abwoch scored at the start of the second quarter to make it 20-7.
Soon after, the momentum shifted toward the Stags as they clamped down on defense to get stops and force Deering into turnovers. It was a pattern that would continue, as the Rams finished with 28 turnovers.
Cheverus outscored Deering 15-2 in the second quarter and 20-14 in the third. The Stags had a 27-6 run overlapping the second and third quarters.
“The kids showed a lot of character,” said Brown. “They played hard. I was very concerned early in the game and wondered if my kids could respond. They did. They made some plays that got us back.”
As for keeping DiStasio in the game when he collected his third foul, Brown said: “Louie is playing. He’s good enough to be able to play with three fouls.”
After scoring two points in the first quarter, DiStasio had five in the second quarter and nine in the third to finish with a team-high 16 points. The Stags had two other players in double figures, as Cam Olson scored 15 points and center Shawn Grover added 13.
“After I got my third foul, Coach told me to play smart,” said DiStasio. “If he had taken me out, I would have been sitting next to him on the bench. Coach Brown likes me, but he doesn’t like me that much.”
DiStasio said the comeback was fueled by strong ball movement.
“We started swinging the ball from side to side,” he said. “It’s hard for a defense to adjust when we do it right. It opened some layups for us.”
“It all starts with defense,” said Olson. “We needed this. It’s a really big win.”
Amabile, who fouled out, led Deering with 17 points. Abwoch added 11.
Flaherty played in place of starting point guard James Kapothanasis, who is out with mononucleosis.
Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at:
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