CAPE ELIZABETH—Last week, Cape Elizabeth’s boys’ basketball team concluded its regular season frustrated and searching for answers.

Tuesday evening, the Capers began the playoffs by finding those answers and in the process, serving notice that they’re going to be factor in the Class B South tournament.

Despite their No. 8 ranking.

Cape Elizabeth played host to a ninth-ranked Lake Region squad which rallied to beat them last week and with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line, the Capers put it all together when it mattered most.

The Lakers couldn’t have asked for a better start as eight points from sophomore Jackson Libby led to a quick 13-2 lead, but late in the first quarter, Cape Elizabeth came to life and when senior Andrew Trachimowicz hit a 3-pointer just before the horn, the Capers were within four points, 15-11.

Trachimowicz then stole the ball three straight times, scored once and set up junior Alex Van Huystee and senior James Rickman for layups that put Cape Elizabeth on top to stay.

The Capers eventually enjoyed a 21-4 run and when seniors Owen Tighe and Sam Lombardo sank late 3s, they took a 31-23 advantage to the half.

Then, 26 seconds into the second half, Libby was called for a technical foul and he would sit for the rest of the night and Cape Elizabeth closed the third quarter on a 15-4 run, capped by Trachimowicz setting up senior Tony Dell’Aquila for a 3 and a commanding 52-29 lead.

Lake Region never got closer than 16 points from there and the Capers closed out a 61-42 victory.

Tighe, Lombardo and Van Huystee all wound up in double figures as Cape Elizabeth improved to 11-8, ended Lake Region’s season at 8-11 and advanced to the quarterfinals where it will take on top-seeded Oceanside (17-1) Friday at 8:30 p.m., at the James Banks Portland Exposition Building.

“It was a tough loss (last week), but the guys just regrouped,” said Lombardo. “We beat them before and we knew we could do it again.”

Digging deep

Cape Elizabeth lost to York in last year’s quarterfinals and came into the 2022-23 campaign believing it would be a top contender in Class B South, but the Capers have struggled with consistency (see sidebar for links to previous stories). Cape Elizabeth started 2-0 but found itself 4-5 at the midway point. After a five-game win streak, the Capers dropped three of their final four to wind up eighth in the region.

Last Wednesday’s regular season was the most painful defeat of all, as Cape Elizabeth held a late lead over visiting Lake Region, but wound up squandering it due to late fouls and an untimely technical foul on Tighe.

The Capers then picked up the pieces.

“That was as tough a night I’ve had as a coach or a player,” said Cape Elizabeth coach Jeff Mitchell. “Since then, we honed in on mental toughness and being calm and composed. It’s our best asset and worst enemy. Our ability to get after it hurts us sometimes.”

Lake Region was in close games throughout and overcame a five-game skid in the middle of the season to finish ninth in the region.

The teams played twice this winter with each winning by four on the road (the Capers by a 56-52 score in Naples and the Lakers by a 66-62 margin in Cape Elizabeth).

The Capers and Lakers had met seven previous times in the postseason, with Lake Region holding a 4-3 edge (see sidebar).

Tuesday, Cape Elizabeth came out and after a sluggish start, made quite a statement.

Both teams struggled the first couple minutes, as the Capers misfired on 3-pointers and the Lakers turned the ball over the first three times they had the ball.

Libby finally opened the scoring with a putback, then Libby made a layup and with 4:59 to go in the opening stanza, freshman Jacoby Bardsley’s layup made it 6-0.

Twenty-six seconds later, a jumper in the lane from Van Huystee got Cape Elizabeth on the board, but Libby set up sophomore Brock Gibbons for a 3, Libby banked home a shot, then Libby scored on a contested jumper to make it 13-2, forcing Mitchell to call timeout and emphasize the team’s pressure defense.

Out of the break, Lombardo fed senior Ben Altenburg for a layup, then Tighe got three offensive rebounds before putting the ball in.

After Libby set up Gibbons for a layup, Lombardo drove and scored on a reverse layup and just before the buzzer, Lombardo got the ball to Trachimowicz, who buried a 3, and despite six turnovers and 1-of-7 3-point shooting, the Capers’ deficit was just four points, 15-11.

“It was just the first quarter, so it was early,” Trachimowicz said. “(That shot) helped morale more than anything else. It put a spark in everybody.”

Cape Elizabeth then found another gear in the second quarter as it seized control of the game.

Trachimowicz set the tone 31 seconds in when he stole the ball and raced in for a layup.

After another Trachimowicz steal, he set up Van Huystee to tie the score and Lake Region coach Ryan Martin called timeout.

It didn’t help, as Trachimowicz stole the ball again and fed Rickman for a layup and with 7:04 remaining in the first half, the Capers had the lead for good, 17-15.

“After we took that timeout, we all looked at each other and knew it was time to put on our press,” Trachimowicz said. “It’s taken care of business all year long. We practice hard on our (press). I think when we play our best, it’s when we play our (press). When we do that, we’re really tough to beat.”

“We’ve worked on the same defense since June,’ said Mitchell. “Our press has paid off for us a number of times this year. I told the guys in the locker room that I’ll take our defense against any team. These guys love to get after it. They’re quick, they’re athletic. They can guard guards. Our press has gotten us back in games.”

Lombardo then set up Tighe for a layup and making matters worse for the visitors, Libby had to leave the game with an apparent knee injury.

With 5:43 left in the half, a long jumper from Chadbourne ended a 4 minute, 13 second drought and pulled the Lakers within two, but Rickman set up Trachimowicz for a layup, then Van Huystee stole the ball and drove for a layup, forcing another Lake Region timeout.

Chadbourne made two free throws coming out, but Van Huystee delivered a beautiful pass to Tighe for a layup to make it 25-19.

Libby then returned after getting his knee wrapped and hit a contested turnaround jumper before setting up Chadbourne for a reverse layup to make it a two-point game, but the final six points of the half went to Cape Elizabeth.

After the Capers made just 1-of-10 3s to start the game, Tighe buried a 3 with 1:35 left, then Trachimowicz set up Lombardo for another 3 and it was 31-23 at halftime.

“We were confident coming in, but we knew the power of their team,” said Martin. “Their pressure really got to us. Lombardo and (Van Huystee) put a lot of pressure on us and made us uncomfortable. They have athletic guards who can put on pressure and that made it tough for us to get good shots.”

The game slipped away from the visitors early in the third quarter, when Lombardo was fouled on an offensive rebound 26 seconds and on the play, Libby was called for a technical foul.

By team rule, Libby then took a seat for the remainder of the game, and the season.

“If it’s a technical that is unsportsmanlike, they can’t play the rest of the game,” Martin said.

Lombardo then made two of four free throws before Trachimowicz found Rickman for a layup off an inbounds set, then Tighe drove and finished a layup with his left hand to stretch the lead to 37-23, forcing Martin to call timeout again.

Bardsley ended a 12-0 run and a 4:56 drought with two foul shots, but Lombardo fed Rickman for a layup and after Rickman set up Tighe for a 3, sophomore Ian Brogan drove for a layup for the Lakers, but Trachimowicz made a free throw, Lombardo hit two more after a Lake Region technical foul for an illegal uniform, Tighe hit a foul shot, then with 2:40 left, Tighe found junior Gabe Berman in the corner for a 3-pointer which made it 49-27.

Chadbourne stemmed the tide with two free throws, but as time expired, Trachimowicz grabbed an offensive rebound and kicked the ball out to to Dell’Aquila, who sank another 3 to send the game to the fourth period with the Capers firmly in control, 52-29.

The Lakers started the final stanza with two free throws from Bardsley, an old-fashioned three-point play from senior Jack Bueler (layup, foul, free throw) and two more Bardsley foul shots to cut the deficit to 16, but that’s as close as they would get.

After Tighe made a layup, Chadbourne got a leaner to bounce in, but a Van Huystee rolled in to make it 56-38.

After sophomore Aidan Roberts scored on a putback for the visitors, Lombardo made a free throw, then sank another.

With 1:42 to play, a putback from Bueler produced Lake Region’s final points.

Lombardo then hit one more foul shot before a Van Huystee layup brought the curtain down on the Capers’ 61-42 victory.

“We know we’re a defensive team and defense wins games,” Lombardo said. “Coming into the tournament, we prioritized defense. We know shots will fall, so we think every game has to be won with defense first.”

“We’ve been playing our best when our backs are against the wall,” Trachimowicz said. “We had the right mindset and we gave our all.”

“Mental toughness was the key tonight and we kept it together,” Mitchell added.

Tighe, who didn’t start, led the way with a game-high 17 points and nine rebounds.

“Part of the deal tonight was (Owen) was going to come off the bench,” Mitchell said. “I’m proud of the way he responded. When he has the mental part of the game in check, he’s a darn good player.”

Lombardo added 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

“Sam’s our leader,” Mitchell said. “You saw in the fourth quarter, when we needed to control the ball and take care of the ball and beat the press, Sam’s great at doing that.”

Van Huystee also finished in double figures with 10 points (and four steals). Trachimowicz contributed eight points, seven steals, five assists and four rebounds. Rickman had six points, Berman and Dell’Aquila tallied three apiece and Altenburg (three rebounds) had two.

Cape Elizabeth had a 38-26 rebound advantage and overcame 19 turnovers and 9-of-22 foul shooting.

Lake Region got 10 points and eight rebounds from Chadbourne and 10 points and five rebounds from Libby. Bardsley added eight points, Bueler and Gibbons each had five and Brogan and Roberts produced two apiece.

The Lakers made 11-of-14 free throws, but turned the ball over 25 times.

“We know Cape is a very talented team with a lot of different weapons and they’re a really tough matchup for us,” Martin said. “One thing I’m proud about with this team all year long is that no matter the score, they played hard. That’s tough to do, especially in a big game like this.

“We have a young team that worked hard at playing the next play and taking care of the basketball. We got a lot better at that as the season went along. It’s a young group that stayed together and learned how to play through adversity.

“We’re losing our best player and that will make a difference. We need some guys to step up. We have some guys who can step in and fill what Chadbourne did for us.”

House money

The next step for the Capers will be a doozy, but they welcome the challenge.

Cape Elizabeth and Oceanside didn’t meet this year and have no playoff history.

“The seed doesn’t matter,” said Trachimowicz. “As cliche as it sounds, we’re all family with the same mindset. When we come out hot, it carries through.”

“Guys are confident because we’ve seen our ceiling,” Lombardo said. “Everyone on the team believes we can beat anyone when we play our best. Guys will put it all out there. We have a group of 12 seniors who will all give their best.”

“We’ve got nothing to lose now,” Mitchell added. “The season is full of ups and downs and nuances and guys getting sick and hurt and all that stuff. Now we have a chance to go up against (the one seed). I love this crew going up against the one. They’re seniors who love to play defense and a lot of things have to go our way, but it will be fun.

“We haven’t seen Oceanside in person. We’ve watched film. I know they’re a very talented team. Their offense is scoring upwards of 80 (points) a game. We have a lot of film to watch to get ready. We’ve got two days and we’ll do the best we can.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. 

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