One couldn’t ask for a more entertaining first quarter of tournament basketball at the Portland Expo.
And York High’s boys’ basketball team was satisfied with the finish, too, controlling play over most of the final three quarters to pull away from Cape Elizabeth for a 67-51 win in the first of four Class B South quarterfinals Friday night.
“It was just like bucket after bucket,” said York senior JP Frazier of the torrid first quarter that ended with Cape ahead 21-20. “It was fun to watch, definitely, but I thought our defense stepped up (after that).”
Frazier led all scorers with 24 points in third-seeded York’s 14th straight win and Coach Jerry Hill’s 300th career victory (23 in Maine, 277 in New Jersey). York (14-2) committed just three turnovers – none in the first half.
“We haven’t had a game where we’ve had a lot of turnovers and we take pride in taking care of the basketball,” Hill said.
York also had scoring depth. Kevin Burke worked inside for 13 points. Guard Jake Fogg had 12 points, and Will Bourgeois finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. Haydn Forbes came off the bench and was key defensively, face-guarding Will Bowe after Bowe started the game 7 of 8 and scored all 16 of his points in the first 12-plus minutes.
“We’re not individuals,” Frazier said, showing five spread fingers. “We’re a fist. Together.”
York advances to the semifinals at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Expo against No. 2 Yarmouth. Yarmouth beat York in the season opener in overtime.
Sixth-seeded Cape Elizabeth finishes the season 12-8.
The first quarter ended with Cape on top when Bowe hit an 18-footer at the buzzer – his fifth straight make to start the game, including two 3-pointers. Cape was 9 of 11 from the floor in the quarter. York countered with four players scoring.
Fogg stepped up early in the second quarter with consecutive 3-pointers when Cape backed off him, pushing the lead to 30-23. After Bowe made his final bucket, York closed the half on a 7-2 run, capped when Frazier tipped in his own miss.
Cape’s Jake Frame (14 points) and 6-foot-8 forward Evan Reeves (nine points) both scored twice early in the third quarter to cut the lead to 41-36. Then, after a timeout, Owen Tighe scored on a fast break off a sweet transition pass from Reeves to make it a one-possession game.
Fogg responded with a baseline jumper and Burke finished inside, which he did repeatedly against the taller Cape defense. Frazier converted a three-point play to make it 48-40. After a Frame bucket, Trevor Parker finished the quarter with a 3-pointer – his only basket of the game.
“That 3 at the end of the third was a dagger,” said Cape Coach Jeff Mitchell. “Not a game-ending dagger, but that hurt. (York is) athletic and they’re hard to guard.”
Neither team scored for nearly four minutes in the fourth quarter, as Cape couldn’t get closer than seven points. York finished things off with 8-of-11 free-throw shooting.
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