On a night when the Gorham boys’ basketball team led by as many as 17 points, the biggest play of the game came on a putback by Sam Kilborn with 19 seconds remaining.
With previously unbeaten Portland surging almost all the way back and the Rams clinging to a four-point lead, Kilborn’s final basket of the night sealed a 58-55 victory Friday at the Portland Expo.
“Every day in practice, we always work on getting to the rim after a shot to just try and get a rebound,” said Kilborn. “I had to be there, just in case. It was such a close game at that point, and we really had to get our lead back up.”
“That was a huge basket,” said Gorham Coach Added Mark Karter. “Portland is such a great defensive team that we were trying to execute and get good shots down the stretch, and they made it tough for us. We were lucky to get that one to go in.”
Kilborn racked up 25 points to go with 10 rebounds, controlling the low block throughout the contest.
“He’s such a big body, and he’s extremely strong, so it’s tough to move him,” said Karter. “He moves well for a big man. He’s really worked at his game and he put together a great effort tonight.”
Added Portland Coach Joe Russo: “He had a lot of putbacks and got a lot of rebounds. When the best player on their team scores the most points, you have to put that on me, because maybe I could’ve double-teamed him or done some different things. Some of the things we did try, he was really clearing out.”
Strong starts to each of the first three quarters helped Gorham (6-3) knock off Portland (8-1). The Rams opened the game on a 7-1 run, started the second quarter by outscoring the Bulldogs 13-2, and pushed their lead to 19 points with a 10-4 stretch in the first few minutes of the third.
“Our lack of defensive intensity allowed them to control the tempo a bit to start each quarter,” said Russo. “They like to play methodical, they handle the ball, and if you allow them to control the tempo, that’s how they’re going to play. We allowed them to control it for more than half the game.”
Added Kilborn: “We had to win the first four minutes of every quarter, then keep it rolling from there. They play great defense and it’s hard to play against, so those starts were important.”
Gorham also got a big performance from Stephen Burns, who scored 12 points, including a momentum-shifting 3-pointer in the closing minutes. Billy Ruby added 10 points and eight rebounds, and Logan Drouin chipped in seven rebounds, four assists and a buzzer-beating 3 in the first quarter.
Portland was led by seniors Joe Esposito (19 points, five rebounds) and Amir Moss (15 points). The duo combined for 18 fourth-quarter points – 11 by Esposito. Griffin Foley added 11 points, and Terion Moss chipped in six steals.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
