YARMOUTH—The third time wasn’t a charm.
Instead, it was triple the pain for Yarmouth’s boys’ basketball team.
Saturday afternoon at Stroud Gymnasium, the Clippers, coming off consecutive agonizing overtime losses to Freeport and Falmouth, hosted Medomak Valley, which has gotten off to a sizzling start this winter.
And after digging a huge early hole, Yarmouth appeared on the brink of a potential season-turning, come-from-behind victory, but couldn’t close it out.
And the game went to overtime again, then a second, before the contest ended with all-too-familiar result.
The Panthers, behind senior Kory Donlin, shot to an 18-9 lead after one quarter and went up by 14, 27-13, midway through the second period, but the Clippers, sparked in large part by the arrival of senior reserve Colter Olson, settled down, took better care of the basketball and when junior Chris Augur made a late 3-pointer to cap a 9-2 run, Yarmouth was only down by seven points, 29-22, at halftime.
And the Clippers continued to surge when the second half began, taking their first lead on a 3-ball from junior Bobby Wolff, before the game went to the fourth quarter tied at 37-37.
There, Augur banked home a 3 to seemingly put Yarmouth ahead to stay and when senior point guard Matt Gautreau scored his second straight layup, with just 2:19 left, the lead was 50-41.
But Medomak Valley believes it’s never out of a game, and after being outscored 37-14 over a long stretch, saved its best for late, closing the game on a 9-0 run, pulling even on two Donlin foul shots with 14 seconds to go, and after the Clippers couldn’t produce a shot as time wound down, the contest went to a four-minute extra session.
There, a basket from senior Jack Janczuk and an Olson free throw again put Yarmouth on the brink of a therapeutic victory, but as time wound down. junior Gabe Lash drove for a layup to make it 53-53 and force a second overtime.
Where the teams traded baskets before a backbreaking 3-pointer from junior Kristian Schumann put the Panthers ahead to stay and they hit their free throws down the stretch and went on to an exhilarating 63-58 victory.
Donlin led all scorers with 24 points, Lash added 16 and Medomak Valley improved to 6-1 while dropping the snakebitten Clippers to 1-5.
“We have to figure out how to close a game,” said Yarmouth coach Ilunga Mutombo. “When you work that hard, it feels good to get a win in your pocket. The boys just have to keep fighting and figure out how to get over that hump of closing a game.”
Knocking on the door
Yarmouth began the season with a 50-37 home loss to York. The Clippers then knocked off host Cape Elizabeth (65-54) before losing at Oceanside (78-67). After letting a lead slip away in a 60-57 overtime loss to visiting Freeport, Yarmouth nearly knocked off two-time reigning Class A South champion Falmouth Thursday at the Holiday Classic in Portland before falling in overtime again, 64-61.
Medomak Valley, meanwhile, soared to the top spot in Class B South by virtue of wins over Leavitt (73-41), Camden Hills (78-74), Mt. View (74-43), Winslow (47-36) and Morse (64-35). The last victory gave longtime coach Nick DePatsy his 400th career victory. The Panthers also lost at Oceanside (71-54).
The teams last played in the 2022 Class B South Final, where Yarmouth came alive in the second half and prevailed, 47-35, en route to the Gold Ball.
Saturday, the Clippers came from behind again and were oh-so-close to a victory that could have changed the trajectory of their season, but when the biggest plays had to made, Medomak Valley rose to the occasion.
Donlin hinted at his huge game to come when he opened the scoring with a layup, then drove for a reverse layup and a quick 4-0 lead.
After Janczuk banked home a shot for Yarmouth’s first points, Donlin struck again, scoring on a floater.
Janczuk answered with a leaner, but sophomore Luke Cheesman drained a 3, Schumann scored on a floater, then Mason Nguyen drove for a layup and a 13-4 advantage with 3:28 on the first quarter clock, forcing Mutombo to call timeout.
During the break, Mutombo inserted Olson, the Air Force Academy-bound lacrosse standout, into the game, and Olson brought immediate energy to the floor.
After senior Evan Hamm ended the Panthers’ 7-0 run with a putback, senior Justin Dawes added a free throw to cut the deficit to six, but Cheesman answered with a driving bank shot. Olson then made a layup on the fastbreak, off a feed from Dawes, but in the waning seconds, Donlin capped his nine-point first quarter with an old-fashioned three-point play (layup, foul, free throw) to make it 18-9 Medomak Valley.
The Panthers added to their lead early in the second period, as Lash buried a 3 for his first points and after Olson set up Hamm for a layup, Donlin made a layup to make it 23-11.
Olson got two points back with a spinner, but Donlin tipped in a missed shot, then Nguyen scored on a floater for a 27-13 advantage with 4:30 still the play in the first half.
Yarmouth then came alive and closed the second quarter on a 9-2 run to get back in it.
The comeback was sparked, naturally, by Olson, who got a learner to roll home. Then, after a steal, sophomore Griffin Rideout found Hamm ahead of the pack and Hamm raced in and slammed the ball home. After Donlin countered with a putback, Olson set up Hamm for a layup, then after grabbing an offensive rebound, Olson passed to Augur for a 3.
“Colter is a great energy player,” said Mutombo. “It’s great to have him on the floor. He’ll do anything he can to get that rebound, find his teammates and push transition.”
That pulled the Clippers within 29-22 at halftime and the third period would be even better for the home team.
Donlin opened the second half by scoring on a putback, but Janczuk made a layup, then banked home a contested shot to cut the deficit to just five.
Lash answered with a long 3, but Gautreau answered with one of his own and after Cheesman set up Nguyen for a layup, Gautreau buried another 3 with 3:25 on the clock, pulling Yarmouth within 36-32.
Twenty-six seconds later, Hamm set up Dawes for a layup on the fastbreak, then with 2:32 to go, Hamm fed Wolff for a 3 and a 37-36 advantage.
Seventeen seconds later, Cheesman made a free throw and that sent the game deadlocked to the fourth quarter.
A quarter which settled nothing.
Nineteen seconds in, Augur banked in a 3 for the lead.
Olson then scored on a layup and DePatsy called timeout.
Lash answered by driving for a layup to snap a 6 minute, 37 second field goal drought, but after milking a minute off the clock, the Clippers made it 44-39 on a Hamm putback.
Donlin then scored after a spin move, but in a 51-second span, Yarmouth rattled off six straight points to seemingly put it away.
First, Hamm swatted a loose ball and got it to Janczuk for a layup. Gautreau then drove for a layup and after a steal, Gautreau soared in for another layup to make it 50-41 with 2:19 remaining.
And then, Medomak Valley embarked on a rally it will remember for a long time.
The comeback began courtesy Schumann, who scored on a leaner.
Lash then hit a 3 from the corner with 1:14 remaining and suddenly, it was a five-point game.
After forcing consecutive turnovers, the Panthers drew within two with 28.5 seconds to go, when Nguyen made a layup.
Donlin then stole the ball back and was fouled with 14.3 seconds left. He hit the first free throw, then got the second to bounce around and around and around and in and just like that, the game was tied.
The Clippers had a chance to win it, but after the ball was knocked out of bounds with 2.2 seconds remaining, with the home team keeping the ball, the inbounds pass was tipped away and time ran out, sending the contest to overtime, tied at 50-50.
“That was a 9-0 run there,” said DePatsy. “We’re not a type of team that can press the entire game. We’ll show it here and there.”
Overtime began with a Donlin free throw 14 seconds in, giving Medomak Valley its first lead since the score was 36-34.
Yarmouth then turned the ball over, but Janczuk stole it back and banked home a shot while being fouled with 2:16 remaining. Janczuk couldn’t add the and-one free throw, but Hamm kept possession alive, only to see the Clippers turn the ball over.
With a minute left, Donlin missed a shot and Gautreau got the rebound. Yarmouth then ran the clock down to 25.6 seconds when Olson was fouled. Olson’s first attempt barely rimmed out, but he sank the second and again, the Clippers were on the brink of victory.
And again, they couldn’t slam the door.
This time, it would be Lash playing the hero, driving for a layup with 3.3 seconds showing, tying the score anew.
Time initially ran out, but the officials put 1.2 seconds back on the clock, giving Yarmouth an opportunity to win it on a prayer, but Dawes’ bid from well beyond midcourt was off target and four more minutes were necessitated to determine a winner.
And given a third life, the Panthers made sure to finish it off.
Medomak Valley went ahead 16 seconds into the second overtime when Donlin scored on a floater.
After Janczuk missed for Yarmouth, Donlin was off target at the other end.
With another chance to tie it, Gautreau missed a shot, but the Clippers kept possession and with 1:49 to go, Janczuk scored on a driving layup to tie the score for the fourth and final time.
Eighteen seconds later, the Panthers finally went ahead to stay, as Donlin drew the defense, then kicked out to Schumann in the corner, where Schumann buried a 3.
“I drove baseline and swung it to Khristian in the corner and he made it,” Donlin said. “I was praying it was going in.”
Janczuk tried to tie it with a 3, but missed and after getting the ball back, the Clippers again looked to draw even from behind the arc, only to have Hamm miss.
Schumann got the rebound and was fouled and with 33.6 seconds remaining, Schumann sank two critical free throws.
After Gautreau missed a 3, Donlin got the rebound and got the ball to Lash, who was fouled. Lash hit both of his free throws with 19.4 seconds to go to pretty much seal it.
After an Olson miss, Lash got the rebound and was fouled. He added one more free throw with 5.1 seconds remaining and while Gautreau sank a 3 just before the horn, it was too-little, too-late, and Medomak Valley had a memorable 63-58 victory.
“It was an amazing game,” said Donlin. “It was crazy how we came back like that. It means a lot because Yarmouth is a very good team and these (Heal Points) will help a lot in the long run. We just didn’t give up and it worked out in our favor. Once we got into overtime, we were confident because a comeback like that can be devastating to the other team.”
“It’s a good win, to do this on the road,” DePatsy said. “It’s all on the guys. We’re still very young, but I was so impressed with our mental toughness. I felt like we had momentum before the first overtime. I wasn’t sure before the second one. We’ve played really good defense and that’s the key. Offensively, Donlin and Lash are tough matchups.”
Donlin not only led all scorers with 24 points, he also grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double and added five steals for good measure.
“They have some tall kids, so my pump fakes worked well,” Donlin said.
Lash added 16 points, to go with five rebounds and three steals.
Schumann had nine points (to go with three steals and three rebounds), Nguyen eight (along with three steals, two assists and two rebounds) and Cheesman six.
The Panthers made 10-of-13 free throws and only committed 13 turnovers in 40 high-pressure minutes in front of a hostile crowd.
Searching for answers
For Yarmouth, Janczuk led the way with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Gautreau added 13 points (to go with three rebounds, three steals and two assists), Hamm had 10 (as well as seven blocked shots, six rebounds and four assists), Olson nine (to go with five assists, three rebounds and two steals), Augur six and Dawes and Wolff three apiece.
The Clippers had a 35-28 rebounding edge, but made just 2-of-7 foul shots and turned the ball over 26 times, twice as much as Medomak Valley.
“I trust all my boys,” Mutombo said. “I’ll take them any day. Having Evan doing what he’s doing as a leader, having Matt Gautreau staying composed no matter how much pressure he’s under. He was face-guarded at one point, but he still found a way to get things going. I’ll take them any day.”
On to the new year
Medomak Valley is back in action Tuesday at Lincoln Academy.
The Panthers believe that the sky’s the limit for them this season.
“We’re still a young team, but we think we can go far,” Donlin said. “State championship is the goal. I think we have that potential.”
“We have a long way to go,” said DePatsy. “I like my team. I’m having fun with them. They’re playing relaxed. Our goal is to keep getting better every day because it’s a very good region.”
Medomak Valley will keep a wary eye on the Clippers, regardless of their record or Saturday’s result.
“Yarmouth’s not out of it,” DePatsy said. “They’re a very good team. They’re big and athletic and they’ve had a lot of success in other sports and they’ll go on a run and win some games. I don’t want to see them in the tournament. They’ll be a tough out.”
Yarmouth, meanwhile, hopes the new year will bring better luck and some victories.
The Clippers host Lake Region Tuesday, then go to Wells Thursday.
“We’re close,” Mutombo said. “Tonight would have been a good way to start it, but it’s another loss and another lesson. It’s a long season. Anything can happen. We have to stay positive and continue to fight. We’ll keep pushing. We’ll keep trying to learn and get better every day.”
Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. For game updates and links to game stories, follow him on Threads: @foresports2023
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