WESTBROOK—Any basketball team can win games when it gets up-and-down the floor and hits its shots.
But a good basketball team will find a way to win when it finds itself in a physical battle and its star player is sidelined by fouls.
The Cheverus boys staked their claim as a very good squad Thursday evening when resurgent Westbrook gave the Stags all they could handle in a compelling early-season interclass showdown.
And Cheverus rose to the occasion and thanks to contributions from sources expected and unexpected, passed the test.
The visiting Stags raced to a 19-11 lead after one quarter, as the Blue Blazes were whistled for nine fouls.
Cheverus then had a chance to take a sizeable advantage by halftime, but it only made 9-of-22 free throws and as a result, Westbrook remained within hailing distance, down, 30-23.
The Stags then opened it up in the third period, going up by as many as 15 points on a layup from junior Maddik Weisberg, but after senior standout Silvano Ismail fouled out, Cheverus saw the Blue Blazes creep as close as five, on a 3-pointer from senior Kolbyn Dunphe with 36 seconds to go.
The Stags weren’t about to let it slip away, however, as Weisberg and sophomore Sammy Nzeyimana each hit a free throw down the stretch and Cheverus went on to prevail, 58-51.
The Stags improved to 3-0, their best start in six years, and in the process, handed Westbrook its first loss in three outings.
“It’s a good team win,” said Cheverus second-year coach Richie Ashley. “It’s been awhile since Cheverus was 3-0. I think last year, we would have lost this type of game. We didn’t have that physical toughness yet.”
Highly touted
Westbrook entered the season viewed as a team that can make a run at dethroning Falmouth in Class A South. The Blue Blazes began with a 62-47 victory over Brunswick, then defeated Fryeburg Academy, 71-42.
Cheverus, a semifinalist in Class AA North last season for the first time in a decade, is considered an upper echelon team this season and started by handling visiting Bangor (67-42) and host Deering (79-52), as Ismail scored a combined 62 points.
Last year, the Stags beat visiting Westbrook (64-45).
Thursday’s contest was scheduled to be played Friday, but due to impending bad weather, the contest was moved up 24 hours where the Blue Blazes sought their first win in the series since Jan. 13, 2015 (44-35), but instead, Cheverus did enough to continue its fast start.
Westbrook junior Aiden Taylor shoots over Cheverus junior Gio St. Onge early in the Stags’ 58-51 win Thursday. Hoffer photos.
The Stags started fast, as Nzeyimana drove for a layup, then Ismail was fouled after a steal and hit both free throws for a quick 4-0 lead, just over a minute in.
Westbrook got on the board on a 3-point shot from junior Jackson Young, then took its lone lead when junior Aiden Taylor sank a 3 with 6:01 left in the first quarter.
A mere 18 seconds later, sophomore Leo McNabb answered with a 3 and Cheverus had the lead for good.
After junior Gio St. Onge added a layup, senior Jacob Lucier hit a foul shot, senior Luke McNabb sank a 3 and Nzeyimana set up Ismail for a layup on the fastbreak to cap an 11-0 run.
With 1:49 remaining in the first, senior Kelson Custodio hit a jumper to snap the Blue Blazes’ 4 minute, 12 second drought, but Ismail and senior Carter Hoglund each made a free throw and after Taylor sank a 3, Weisberg scored his first points on a putback to make it 19-11 Stags after one period.
Westbrook was in serious foul trouble, with nine in the quarter alone, and compounding matters, the Blue Blazes turned the ball over seven times.
Senior Kolbyn Dunphe opened the second quarter with a jumper for the home team, but Hoglund answered with a free throw. After Dunphe sank two foul shots for Westbrook, Leo McNabb drove for a layup and Nzeyimana made a free throw for a 23-15 Stags’ advantage.
The Blue Blazes then got a pair of free throws from Taylor and a 3-ball from Taylor to make it a one-possession game, but Cheverus finished the half strong.
First Leo McNabb sank a clutch 3 from the corner. After Nzeyimana drained a jumper, Custodio made a free throw and Taylor added a pair, but with 1:07 left, two Nzeyimana foul shots gave the Stags a 30-23 halftime advantage.
Cheverus forced 11 first half turnovers, but 9-of-22 free throw shooting kept the game close.
“Shooting free throws like that doesn’t usually get the job done because you allow them to hang around,” Ashley said. “We could have been up by more and it would have been a different game with different momentum.”
The Stags then stretched their lead in the third quarter.
Cheverus sophomore Sammy Nzeyimana defends Westbrook senior Kelson Custodio.
First, Ismail set up St. Onge on the fastbreak for a layup, then Ismail sank a free throw to make it a 10-point game.
After Custodio countered with a 3-ball from the corner, Leo McNabb was fouled while shooting a 3 and hit two free throws.
Senior Ben Eugley made a layup for Westbrook and after Ismail set up Wesiberg for a layup, Taylor sank two free throws to make it 37-30.
After Ismail hit a short jumper in the lane, Dunphe countered with a jump shot, but Cheverus closed the frame on an 8-2 run.
Lucier hit a clutch 3 to get things started and then, after Ismail picked up his fourth foul and had to sit, the Stags didn’t waver, as Weisberg took a pass from St. Onge and made a short jumper, then, after a St. Onge steal, Hoglund set up Weisberg for a layup and a 47-32 advantage.
Taylor made two late free throws, but Westbrook faced a daunting 13-point deficit going to the final stanza.
Where the Blue Blazes would battle back before ultimately falling short.
After Weisberg opened the fourth quarter with a free throw, senior Quincy Seavey sank a 3 for Westbrook. Weisberg then set up St. Onge for a layup, but Custodio made a 3 to make the score 50-40 with 6:16 to go.
Senior Micah Lombardo then had a chance to draw the Blue Blazes even closer, but his 3 rimmed out and at the other end, Ismail scored on a runner.
The hosts then made things very interesting, as Custodio sank a pair of free throws and after Dunphe hit a jump shot, he was fouled by Ismail with 2:48 remaining.
Not only did Ismail foul out on the play, he was called for a technical foul as well.
Dunphe sank the two free throws from the foul, then attempted two more from the technical, but both were off-target, keeping the score 52-46.
Westbrook then turned the ball over and that loomed large, as Luke McNabb set up Leo McNabb for a layup.
After St. Onge added a free throw, Eugley answered with two.
With 48 seconds left, Leo McNabb sank one of two foul shots, but 14 seconds later, a Dunphe 3-ball gave the Blue Blazes a flicker of hope as they trailed by just five, 56-51.
Cheverus then turned the ball over and Dunphe took a 3 that could have made it a one-possession game, but his long bid was off the mark and Weisberg got the rebound.
Weisberg was fouled and with 12 seconds to go, he made one of two free throw attempts.
After another Westbrook miss, Nzeyimana hit one more foul shot and that allowed the Stags to celebrate their 58-51 victory.
“I think we did great,” said Weisberg. “It was our first game with adversity, but we have great leaders. I think we kicked it in and showed we’re a good team. We had young guys step up.”
“We had to battle,” Ashley said. “We didn’t shoot as well as we normally do. It’s a learning experience. We hadn’t played in an intense game in that kind of environment. It was physical. We needed to learn how to handle that and we did a good job. ”
Leo McNabb paced a balanced attack with 13 points.
Weisberg, who saw limited varsity time a year ago, continued his strong play with 11 points and nine rebounds.
“I think I’m just the hustle guy,” said Weisberg. “I just try to go out there and impact the court on defense and be there on offense if we need any help.”
“I thought Maddick played very well,” Ashley said. “He rebounded the basketball and scored. He’s a huge contributor.”
Ismail, despite fouling out, had 10 points, six rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and two steals.
Nzeyimana added eight points (six rebounds, four assists and two steals), St. Onge had seven (as well as four assists, three rebounds and two steals), Lucier four, Luke McNabb three and Hoglund two
Cheverus made just 18-of-38 free throws, but only turned the ball over a dozen times.
Westbrook got a game-high 17 points from Taylor, who also had 12 rebounds and three blocked shots.
Dunphe added 13 points and five rebounds, Custodio had 11 points, Eugley finished four and Seavey and Young had three apiece.
The Blue Blazes enjoyed a 39-31 advantage on the glass and hit 17-of-21 free throws, but committed 20 turnovers and took too many fouls.
“We played hard,” said Westbrook coach Bryan Hoy. “We didn’t want to give up. Cheverus is a AA school and we’re not, but we’re right there with them, so we feel pretty positive about tonight. We had a lot of fouls, but it’s good to play aggressive. We were a little bigger than they were, so we wanted to be aggressive. We could have done a better job helping with our feet than our hands, but it worked out pretty well since they didn’t really hit their free throws. I think we did a good job handling their pressure, so if teams try to press us, we’re confident we can handle that. We did a pretty good on (Ismail). Our goal was to keep him under 20. Kelson did a good job on him defensively and Kolbyn switched off to him a couple times with his length.”
A lot to look forward to
Westbrook is back in action Tuesday with a test at Cape Elizabeth.
The Blue Blazes expect to be in the hunt for the long haul this winter.
“It’s a great group,” said Hoy. “Practices are competitive. The guys work hard and stick together. We’ve got some big things coming, I think. It’s pretty even from top to bottom in Class A South. We know we’ll have to fight every night, but we like our chances.”
Cheverus has a big challenge awaiting it Tuesday, when it hosts Portland in a playoff rematch. Dangerous Lewiston pays a visit next Thursday.
“I think we just need to keep playing our game and playing how we play,” said Weisberg. “We’re having fun.”
“We have a big week coming up,” said Ashley. “Portland and Lewiston are good and athletic. Portland will be fired up to play us. Nothing’s going to be easy.”
Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.
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