PORTLAND
When the Freeport High School boys basketball team fell behind Cape Elizabeth by 10 points in the opening half of Saturday’s Class B South quarterfinal at the Portland Expo, the hopes were for the Falcons to chip away at the Capers’ advantage and make it a game.
The Falcons did that, using an 11-1 second-quarter run to tie the Capers late in the first half.
But, when sixth-seeded Freeport again fell behind by double digits in the second half, it was a lot to ask for the Falcons to recover a second time.
Freeport’s Gabe Wagner eyes a shot against Cape Elizabeth on Saturday at Portland Expo. (Ben McCanna/ Portland Press Herald)
Freeport did make a run, but No. 3 Cape Elizabeth rode the inside play of Andrew Hartel to 56-49 victory.
The Falcons saw their season end with a 12-7 record, while Capers (12-7) face No. 2 Maranacook (a 55-41 winner over Yarmouth) on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland in the semifinals.
“We started off really strong, had some tough times where we looked at ourselves from the outside in,” said Freeport coach Bill Ridge of his team’s season. “We made some adjustments, and credit to the kids, they really came together. They wanted to play together.”
Slow start
Freeport led 4-0 early as Leap Ngoal twice scored inside.
But, Cape Elizabeth found its game, using an 11-0 run for an 11-4 advantage and forcing a Freeport timeout.
Hartel, a senior that stands 6-foot-9, was a matchup problem for the smallish Falcons.
“We had that matchup with single coverage and we were able to get the ball to him several times,” said Capers coach James Ray.
Freeport pushed back as Eriksen Shea swished a 3-pointer, but Hartel again scored inside and Quinton Morse hit from outside for a 16-7 Capers lead.
Gabe Wagner scored four quick points for Freeport, and Toby Holt drove inside to get the Falcons to 16-13.
However, the Capers tallied the final five points of the quarter, with Hartel capping his big opening frame with another basket for a 21-13 lead. Hartel had eight first-quarter points.
Hartel picked up four more points early in the second quarter to extend the Cape Elizabeth lead to 25-15 before heading to the bench.
Freeport took quick advantage of the senior’s absence, using an 11-1 run spurt to tie the game at 26. Trailing 26-17, Ngoal, who had six first-half points, began a 9-0 spurt, with Holt hitting a trey before finding a lane to the basket for two more points. A fall-away jumper by Shea deadlocked the game before Hartel closed the half with a one-handed put-back for a 28-26 Capers lead.
Freeport’s Eriksen Shea (13) drives to the basket with Cape Elizabeth’s Nathan Mullen closing in on Saturday during a Class B South boys quarterfinal basketball game at Portland Expo. The third-seeded Capers downed No. 6 Freeport, 56-49. (Ben McCanna / Portland Press Herald)
“We made a run when Hartel was out of the game. He is a tough matchup for us. When he came out, we were able to put some more pressure on them,” Ridge said. “(Hartel) does a lot more than a lot of people give him credit for.”
“We made seven turnovers in the quarter, which disrupts the flow,” added Ray. “When they’re unforced errors it is tough.”
Shea Wagner again tied the game for Freeport to open the second half, but Cape Elizabeth put together a 13-2 run for a 41-30 lead late in the third. Hartel added six more points, but it was his passing that opened up key shots from Tanner Carpenter (five third-quarter points) and Morse (four) as the Capers carried a 43-34 lead to the fourth quarter.
“They were giving us the inside in the first half, but they tried to double team me in the second and I was able to kick the ball out for open shots,” said Hartel. “Things open up inside when we are hitting from the outside.”
Ray felt the intermission allowed his team to get back to basics.
“(The halftime) gives us a chance where we can come down here to refocus,” the Capers coach said. “Things don’t always work the way you want them to, but they did a good job in that third quarter.”
Freeport battled back for a second time. Trailing 48-41, Alex Helie found room and swished a 3-pointer to get the Falcons within four.
But, Amaniel Hagos scored twice inside, the second off a pass from Hartel, for a 52-44 Capers advantage.
A trey by Freeport’s Kaleb Barrett closed the gap to 54-49 with 37 seconds remaining. The Falcons forced the Capers to win the game at the free-throw line. Three straight times, Cape Elizabeth missed the front end of 1-and-1 attempts, but the Capers hustled to retrieve the each rebound.
“We had done such a nice job boxing out throughout the game. We did that for 31 minutes, so that was frustrating for the kids at the end,” Ridge said.
“We should have hit those free throws, something we work on every day,” said Hartel, who grabbed an offensive board late, one of his 12 rebounds in the contest. “Our communication really came through in the end, and the work we do in practice on those types of situations really came through today.”
Hartel had a game-high 23 points, picked up three steals and dished out two assists. Morse added 11 points, with Hagos chipping in seven off the Caper bench. Nathan Mullen also had seven points and two steals. Cape Elizabeth shot 57 percent (23-of-40) from the field.
Holt and Ngoal led Freeport with 12 points apiece. Ngoal had five rebounds. Gabe Wagner finished with six points, with Shea and Helie adding five apiece.
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