BOX SCORE

Yarmouth 47 Medomak Valley 35

MV- 12 9 7 7- 35
Y- 5 15 11 16- 47

MV- Brown 5-4-14, McKenney 3-1-8, Craig 3-0-7, Lash 1-2-4, Donlin 1-0-2

Y- Psyhogeos 4-9-17, Walsh 5-0-15, Waeldner 3-3-10, O’Meara 1-1-3, Snyder 1-0-2

3-pointers:
MV (2) Craig, McKenney 1
Y (6) Walsh 5, Waeldner 1

Turnovers:
MV- 17
Y- 13

FTs
MV: 7-10
Y: 13-17

PORTLAND—Yarmouth’s boys’ basketball team knew that the final step to a regional championship would be a tough one.

But the Clippers had no idea just how steep it would be.

Saturday afternoon at the Portland Exposition Building, second-ranked Yarmouth met a determined fourth-seeded Medomak Valley squad which gave it fits for 32 minutes.

But the Clippers are determined, unflappable and thanks to clutch performances from multiple players, they’re heading to the state final.

For the first time in a decade.

Yarmouth couldn’t get anything going offensively in the first quarter, turned the ball over six times and the Panthers went on a 12-1 run, sparked by a couple 3-pointers, to grab a 12-5 advantage.

Things got even more daunting for the Clippers, as senior standout Peter Psyhogeos, who couldn’t get untracked on the offensive end, picked up his second foul at the end of the first period and had to sit most of the second, but Yarmouth, thanks to junior sharpshooting reserve Stevie Walsh, aka “Stevie Wonder” or “Playoff Stevie,” came in and drained a couple 3s to momentarily give the Clippers the lead before a late jumper from Medomak Valley senior Jacob Craig made it 21-20 Panthers at the half.

When Medomak Valley scored the first four points of the second half, Yarmouth could have buckled or panicked, but these Clippers do neither.

Certainly not with hardware on the line.

A Walsh 3 tied the score at 27-27, then, after the Panthers went back on top on a free throw from senior Trevor Brown, Psyhogeos scored four quick points to put Yarmouth ahead to stay, 31-28, heading for the fourth period.

There, Medomak Valley pulled within two before Walsh drained back-to-back 3s for some breathing room.

The valiant Panthers got back within four on two Brown free throws with 4:37 left, but unheralded Clippers senior Quin O’Meara scored the biggest three-point play of his life to counter and Yarmouth pulled away from there and prevailed, 47-35.

Psyhogeos overcame foul difficulties to lead all scorers with 17 points, senior point guard Matt Waeldner fought through a balky ankle to add 10 and Walsh made five 3s, good for 15 points, as the Clippers improved to 19-3, ended Medomak Valley’s season at 17-5 and advanced to the Class B state final for the first time since winning it all in 2012, where it will battle Ellsworth (22-0) Friday at 8:45 p.m., at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.

“Yes, we have some talent and we can defend, but what’s special about this group, and it starts with the seniors and captains, is that they’re at their best when things are tough,” said Yarmouth coach Jonas Allen. “They don’t turn on each other or have bad body language. They stayed positive and believed in each other and that’s why it’s a group we’ll never forget.”

A decade in the making

In 2011-12, Yarmouth’s boys snapped a 44-year title drought by upsetting undefeated Falmouth in the regional final before beating Gardiner in the Class B state final, 65-53, for the program’s second championship.

The Clippers have been very competitive in the interim, even reaching the regional final in 2016 and 2017, but they hadn’t been championship-caliber again until this winter, when they started 9-0 and wound up 15-3 before beating No. 15 Lincoln Academy (56-16) in the preliminary round, seventh-seeded Oceanside (63-43) in the quarterfinals and No. 3 York (50-41) in Tuesday’s semifinals (see sidebar for links to previous stories).

Medomak Valley got off to a slow start to its season, was just 3-3 at one point, then closed by winning 11 of 12 before defeating No. 13 Oak Hill (79-43) in the preliminary round and No. 5 Lisbon (60-47) in the quarterfinals and ending ninth-ranked Maranacook’s title reign in the semifinals (77-49).

The Clippers and Panthers didn’t play this season and had no playoff history.

The regional final was supposed to be contested Friday, but bad weather moved it to Saturday where Medomak Valley, playing without injured senior Jake Bickmore, proved to be a most worthy foe, but Yarmouth simply wouldn’t be denied its date with destiny.

Waeldner set up senior Cole Snyder for a layup 24 seconds in to put Yarmouth on top, but the Clippers would find themselves trailing most of the rest of the first half.

Medomak Valley got its first points at the 6 minute mark, when senior Patrick McKenney scored on a spinner. Craig then hit a jumper and Brown made a fadeaway jumper for a quick 6-2 lead, causing Allen to call timeout.

Psyhogeos responded with a free throw for his first point, but first Craig, then McKenney drained 3s and just like that, the Panthers were up by nine, 12-3.

Waeldner got two points back with a spinner off the glass, but late in the frame, Psyhogeos picked up his second foul and Yarmouth had to deal with his absence and a 12-5 deficit when the second quarter started.

The Clippers needed an offensive spark and who better to provide it than Walsh, who already earned legendary status in the fall after scoring playoff game-winning goals to help Yarmouth’s boys’ soccer team beat Freeport and Cape Elizabeth en route to a state title.

Walsh opened the second period scoring by banking in a 3-pointer and he was just getting started.

After Brown set up sophomore Kory Donlin for a layup on the fastbreak, Waeldner drove for a layup, but with 4:24 to go before halftime, McKenney found Brown for a layup and a 16-10 lead and Allen again called timeout.

Out of the timeout, Walsh sank another 3 and after Brown made a free throw, Waeldner hit a pair of foul shots and Psyhogeos, who had returned to the contest, tied the score with a jumper with 1:50 on the clock.

Brown set up freshman Gabe Lash for a layup to put Medomak Valley back in the lead, but with 1:05 remaining, Walsh canned another 3 and for the first time since the score was 2-0, the Clippers were in front.

With 8 seconds left, Craig hit a jumper and the Panthers took a 21-20 lead to the half.

The game remained close in the third period, although Yarmouth was able to finally go on top to stay at the end.

Medomak Valley opened the second half with a bank shot from Brown, then a floater from Brown to push the lead to five, but Psyhogeos sank a couple free throws, Psyhogeos made a jumper and after Brown countered with a hoop, Waeldner found Walsh for the tying 3 with 2:48 to go to make it 27-27.

A Brown free throw gave the Panthers what proved to be their final lead 22 seconds later, but with 2:01 on the clock, Psyhogeos was fouled and he hit both attempts to give the Clippers the lead for good.

Psyhogeos then made a layup after a steal and even though he would pick up his third foul in the final minute, Yarmouth took a 31-28 advantage to the final stanza.

Where they finally put it away.

A free throw from McKenney opened the fourth and cut the deficit to just two, but Walsh would take matters into his own talented hands to open it back up.

First, he hit a long 3 with 7:05 to go.

Then, 44 seconds later, Walsh buried an even longer 3 and just like that, the Clippers were on top, 37-29.

“I always want to take some of the load off Matt and Pete, since they’re always producing, and when I find my spot, I just take it,” Walsh said. “I was just feeling good and I just wanted to keep shooting. The ball kept coming to me and my opportunity was there.”

“Stevie hitting those shots was huge,” Allen said. “We can look pretty bad and have all sorts of things going wrong, but our defense keeps us in games until our offense figures it out.”

Out of a timeout, Medomak Valley battled back, as McKenney drove for a layup, then Brown sank a couple free throws, but Yarmouth responded.

Thanks to an unlikely source.

With 4:16 left, O’Meara got the ball on the baseline, spun and while being fouled, knocked down the shot.

“It just kind of came to me,” O’Meara said. “I got the ball in my hands and turned and made a shot. I hoped it would go in and it turned out well. That was fun.”

O’Meara then added the and-one free throw to give the Clippers a seven-point lead.

“That’s the second time Quin’s had a crucial and-one in the playoffs,” Allen said. “I’m so proud of him. He started out the season getting a lot of minutes, he was basically out of the rotation at the midway point and he’s worked his way back in. He never gave up and he works so hard every practice. He got himself into a position where he could contribute when it matters most, so I’m so just so happy for him.”

After Waeldner added a free throw, Psyhogeos hit two with 52 seconds to go and Yarmouth began to feel it.

Psyhogeos then tipped in a miss and after Lash hit two foul shots for the Panthers’ final points, two Psyhogeos free throws iced it and at 3:10 p.m., the horn sounded and the Clippers spilled on to the Expo court to celebrate their 47-35 victory.

“This is a feeling I’ve been wanting to have since I was young,” Waeldner said. “I still remember watching (the 2012) team when I was a kid. It’s an honor to win and get to the state final. It’s a product of our hard work.”

“It feels awesome,” Walsh said. “This team has gone through a lot of ups and downs with injuries and COVID, so this is great.”

“We just had a lot of trust in each other,” O’Meara said. “We didn’t like how we played in the first half. We were still in the game without Pete and without playing well, but we hung in there and out-toughed our opponent and pulled it out. It feels great to go to the state final.”

“Today felt like it was a microcosm of our season,” Allen added. “We had adversity, a slow start. We didn’t execute our game plan out of the gate. Kids were clearly playing like deer in the headlights a little bit. We didn’t do anything right offensively, but the thing about these kids is that they show who they are when it’s tough and that’s what’s special about this group. This senior group decided they were going to change the culture of the program. They trusted each other, they trusted me and I trusted them.”

Despite having to sit for much of the game, Psyhogeos led the way offensively with 17 points and also grabbed nine rebounds.

“It was really difficult having to sit,” Psyhogeos said. “It gave me a new form of appreciation for our guys on the bench. A big shout out to (senior) Sutter Augur specifically. He never stops bringing energy on the bench. He was one of our crucial players, then he got hurt, but still finds a way to positively impact the team.”

For his effort all tournament, Psyhogeos was given the Pierre Harnois Award as the Class B South tournament most valuable player.

“It’s obviously an individual award, but I wouldn’t have gotten it without my team,” Psyhogeos said. “When I was on the bench, they kept me in it, so I wouldn’t have had a chance to win it without them.”

Walsh dazzled with his shooting acumen and finished with 15 points.

“Stevie has ice water in his veins,” Waeldner said. “I love playing with him. It’s unlikely we’d win that game without him.”

“We call him ‘Playoff Stevie’ for a reason,” said Psyhogeos. “He came through in soccer twice and he’s come through in the playoffs for us. He’s someone we can always count on, especially in the playoffs.”

Waeldner quietly had a solid game with 10 points and three steals. O’Meara added three huge points and Snyder finished with two (to go with six rebounds and three steals).

Yarmouth had a 25-20 rebound advantage, overcame 13 turnovers, hit 14-of-34 field goals, including 6-of-13 3-pointers, and made 13-of-17 foul shots.

Medomak Valley was paced by Brown’s 14 points. He also had six rebounds and three assists. McKenney added eight points and had three assists. Craig finished with seven points, four rebounds and two blocks, Lash had four points and Donlin two.

The Panthers committed 17 turnovers, made just 13-of-41 field goals (including 2-of-15 3-point attempts) and hit 7-of-10 free throws.

“We couldn’t get so many run-outs and (Yarmouth) started getting back defensively,” said Medomak Valley coach Nick DePatsy. “I just think their length and their quickness really bothered us and that’s a credit to the way they defend.”

Thirty-two minutes to glory

Yarmouth has never played Ellsworth, but the Eagles are flying high and will be a formidable foe Friday.

Especially close to their home in Bangor.

“We know Ellsworth has kids who can play,” Waeldner said. “It will be up to us to raise our focus level next week in practice and lock in on our game plan.”

“Hopefully we can keep our focus up next week and go to Bangor and have a good game up there,” said Psyhogeos. “Ellsworth is undefeated and really good. Coach Allen will watch a ton of film like he usually does and give us a great game plan. We’ll go up there and hope it’s a great game. I’ve wanted this opportunity all four years of high school, so I can’t wait.”

“I played in Bangor when I was (in high school) at George Stevens and it’s a great place to play,” Allen added. “It’s crazy, it’s fun.

“Ellsworth is a tremendous team and we’re going to have to do a lot of stuff this week to get squared away to play a great game.”

Press Herald staff writer Steve Craig contributed to this story.

Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

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