CAPE ELIZABETH — All season, the Cape Elizabeth boys’ basketball team has been seeking mental toughness.
Tuesday evening, it showed up at just the right time.
Hosting Yarmouth in a battle of Class B South contenders, the Capers went into a 10-point hole after one quarter and down by six early in the fourth before digging deep when it mattered most. Cape Elizabeth went on top to stay on two Sam Lombardo free throws with 1:07 remaining, then held off one final Clippers’ rally for a 58-55 victory.
“This was one we really needed for our confidence and I’m hoping it’s a catalyst to more consistency,” said Cape Elizabeth Coach Jeff Mitchell. “Mental toughness is something we’ve been working on and this is the first time I’ve seen the guys truly respond.”
Yarmouth (12-3) senior standout Peter Psyhogeos made an immediate impact, driving for a layup 10 seconds in and scoring 11 points in the first quarter, capped by a three-point play just before the horn for a 14-4 advantage.
The Capers (8-7) started strong in the second period, scoring the first nine points and taking their first lead at 19-16 on a Will Bowe 3-pointer. Matt Waeldner’s 3-pointer put the Clippers back on top and with 17 points from Psyhogeos, they clung to a 26-23 lead at the half.
A 3-pointer from Jake Frame gave Cape Elizabeth a 33-30 advantage midway through the third quarter, but Yarmouth closed on a 15-6 run – capped by a Psyhogeos 3-pointer – to take a 45-39 lead to the fourth.
Lombardo, who didn’t score in the first half, gave the Capers a momentary 51-50 lead on a layup with 2:31 to go. After Psyhogeos scored on a putback 14 seconds later, Lombardo was fouled with 1:07 left and hit both attempts to put Cape Elizabeth ahead to stay.
“I felt I was responsible for making those shots,” said Lombardo, who had nine points. “It was good to see them go in. We work on those every day in practice.”
Bowe added to the lead with two free throws and then Lombardo hit two more foul shots, but Psyhogeos scored his final points on a 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to two. Lombardo then added a point at the foul line and Stevie Walsh’s bid for a tying 3 at the horn was short as the Capers held on.
“Yarmouth has been doing great this year and we’ve been looking forward to this game,” said Evan Reeves, Cape Elizabeth’s 6-foot-8 junior forward who led his team with 16 points. “Coach Mitchell helped us stay in the game and get fired up.”
Bowe added 14 points for the Capers and Frame finished with 13.
Psyhogeos had 32 points for the Clippers and Waeldner added 12, but it wasn’t quite enough.
“Cape worked well together and they clicked tonight,” said Yarmouth assistant coach Barry Conant, who filled in for head coach Jonas Allen, who missed the game due to illness. “Some things that defensively that we normally excel at it didn’t work well tonight.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
