AUGUSTA — Given a chance to tie Monday’s Class C South boys’ quarterfinal game in the final six seconds of regulation, Madison sized up Boothbay and went against its strength.
Strength prevailed. Abel Bryer blocked the Bulldogs’ shot, and do-everything junior Jacob Leonard hit the deck to clean up the rebound as time expired in the Seahawks’ 61-59 victory at Augusta Civic Center.
“I was waiting for something to self-destruct, because that’s the way we played all year,” Boothbay coach I.J. Pinkham said. “We finally got the stop down at the other end.”
No. 6 Boothbay (13-7) coughed up a 10-point lead in the third quarter but survived to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2013. It will face No. 2 Winthrop at 7 p.m. Thursday. The Seahawks split their series with both Madison and Winthrop during a topsy-turvy regular season in the MVC.
It was redemption for having lost in the quarterfinals as a No. 2 seed in 2014 and No. 1 in 2015.
“I’m just happy to be coming back after the past two years,” Pinkham said.
Leonard led Boothbay with 20 points, five assists and four steals. Kyle Ames and Carter Babcock each added 13, including seven from Ames in the fourth quarter.
Bryer, one of the Seahawks’ leading scorers all season, finished with nine points and was shut out in the fourth quarter prior to his defensive heroics.
“I’m surprised we were able to win with Abel only scoring nine points,” Pinkham said.
Sean Whalen, Chase Malloy and Chris Beaman scored 14 points apiece for Madison (15-4), which rallied from a 39-29 deficit at 4:09 of the third period to take the lead on a Mitch Jarvais basket with 16 seconds left in the stanza.
Leonard’s make and miss from the free-throw line, followed by a Bryer putback, restored Boothbay’s 46-45 lead at the horn. Boothbay committed 13 of its 23 giveaways in the second half.
“We let them back into it,” Pinkham said. “We turned the ball over something awful.”
It was tied at 51, 52, 54 and 56-all in the fourth.
Beaman hit the first of two free throws to make it a two-point game with 22 seconds remaining, and a defensive stand gave Madison a chance to call timeout and design the potential game-tying basket in the lane.
“We said they only needed two, so we didn’t think they would go for three,” Pinkham said.
koakes@sunjournal.com
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