AUGUSTA — When we say the Hyde boys’ basketball team got off to a quick start Saturday morning against Searsport, we aren’t kidding.
“We were up at 5 a.m.,” Hyde coach Corey Begly said. “We’ve been really focusing on that.”
Having to play the 8:30 Class D west quarterfinal is never a treat, even for a No. 3 seed and heavy favorite. The Phoenix didn’t show any signs of hitting the snooze button, however, scoring the first 11 points and breezing past the No 6 Vikings, 64-41, at Augusta Civic Center.
Senior guard Kiefer Cundy led the Phoenix (15-4) with 18 points, including three 3-pointers, and seven rebounds. Sixth man Andrew Palermo provided 14 points and seven boards, while Antoine Montgomery anchored the backcourt with 13 points and five assists.
Hyde faces longtime tourney nemesis Valley (15-4) in the semifinals at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
“We had some tough games at the end of the season. We played Waynflete tough, and we played Valley up there tough,” Begly said. “We were looking forward to getting back on the court and getting started again.”
Montgomery drove for two and Greg Kidger scored on consecutive putbacks to send Hyde off and running. Palermo delivered on the fast break before Cundy rained down his first 3-pointer for an 11-0 lead with 3:29 remaining in the first quarter.
Jake Powell scored five unanswered points for Searsport (14-6), but Hyde rattled off nine more without interruption for a 20-5 cushion at quarter’s end. Palermo scored the final six, including a layup courtesy of his own steal, and a trey.
The Phoenix looked comfortable in the cavernous civic center auditorium, shooting 8-for-16 in the opening quarter. On the defensive end, Hyde held Searsport to 2-for-12 in the period and 3-for-17 in the half.
“We have an advantage in that our gym’s pretty open. A lot of Class D schools don’t have that,” Begly said. “This is pretty much a new team. They’re good guys. They’re humble, they work hard and they get what they deserve.”
Hyde led 33-13 at the half, and Cundy scored nine of his 18 in the third period to keep the Vikings at bay.
The focus of the Phoenix defensive effort, Troy Reynolds, was shut out until the fourth quarter. He finished with seven points for Searsport.
“Reynolds is one of the best players in Class D. He was averaging 25 points per game,” Begly said. “We looked to match up and face-guard him and make it hard for him.”
Through the end of the third quarter, six of Searsport’s seven field goals were 3-pointers. They chalked up a total of eight from beyond the arc.
Eric Phillips paced the Vikings with 14 points. Powell put together eight points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots.
Seacoast Christian 49, Richmond 39
After being shut out for the first 10 minutes, 21 seconds, No. 5 Richmond rallied to make a game of it before No. 4 Seacoast Christian of South Berwick squirmed away with a 49-39 Class D West boys’ quarterfinal win Saturday morning.
It was the first-ever win past the preliminary round for Seacoast (17-2), which will face top-seeded Forest Hills at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in the semifinals.
Tim Yeaton scored eight of his team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter for the Guardians, including six in succession after Zach Small’s 3-point play brought the Bobcats (12-8) within three, 34-31, early in the fourth quarter.
Seacoast led 16-0 at the end of the first quarter and 25-7 at the half.
Caleb LaCroix added 14 points and Isaac LaCroix 13 for Seacoast. Small, a freshman, had 13 of his 15 in the second half to rally Richmond. Cam Emmons chipped in 10.
Forest Hills 79, NYA 48
Ryan Petrin erupted for 38 points, Matt Turner added 20, and No. 1 Forest Hills remained undefeated and unchallenged with a 79-48 Class D West quarterfinal win over No. 9 North Yarmouth Academy.
Petrin and Turner combined for 26 in the first quarter, when the Tigers (19-0) raced to a 30-11 lead. Forest Hills held NYA (9-12) to four points in the second period and led 45-15.
Tanner Daigle chipped in 10 points for Forest Hills. D.J. Nicholas topped the Panthers with nine. Haven Cutko and Eoin Anderson each added eight.
Valley 73, Vinalhaven 49
Cody Laweryson led five players in double figures with 18 points for No. 2 Valley in a 73-49 Class D West boys’ quarterfinal victory over No. 7 Vinalhaven.
Valley (15-4) trailed by three points at the end of a frantic first quarter, but Laweryson logged seven to lead a 17-7 swing in the second. The Cavaliers were in command 31-24 at the half.
Collin Miller added points 14 for Valley. Dillon Beane and Austin Cates chipped in 11 each, while Luke Malloy mustered 10.
Ben Beckman bolstered the Vikings (11-9) with 15 points. Cody Hamilton had 14.
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