On the cusp of its first state title in 29 years, the York High boys basketball team suffered the worst stretch of what had been an unbeaten season.
And Hampden Academy, a team that had already pulled off three tournament comebacks, rallied again to win the Class A championship.
Trailing by 11 points with 2:30 left in the third quarter, Hampden went on a 23-1 run in less than seven minutes en route to a 65-56 victory Saturday at Cross Insurance Arena.
“In the regional tournament, we were down every single game for the majority of the game, and that definitely played a role. We just know how to play from behind,” said Hampden senior all-state guard Bryce Lausier.
Hampden (21-1), which lost the 2018 Class A final by a point to Greely, won its first championship since beating Portland in the 2015 Class A final. Lausier led the way with 23 points. Mikey Raye and his younger brother, Andy, contributed 17 and 14 points, and combined for 21 points after York had its 11-point lead. T.J. Henaghen contributed 11 points and sealed the victory with an emphatic dunk.
York (21-1) was playing in a state final for the first time since 1999 and was looking for its first championship since 1991 in Class B. Once they fell behind, the Wildcats struggled offensively, from a combination of poor shooting (17 of 61 for the game) and rushed shots. Hampden was also off target in the first half but made 10 of its 15 second-half shots from the field and 24 of 29 free throws.
“We let the game get away from us,” MacDonald said. “We’re a lot better than we played tonight, and we’re going to have to live with that for the rest of our lives.”
Only two of York’s 21 wins were not by double digits, and the Wildcats had never faced a significant second-half deficit. Once Hampden got rolling, though, the Wildcats couldn’t find a response, especially with their top player, Brady Cummins (12 points), sidelined because of cramps for most of the final nine minutes.
“Anytime you don’t have some of your better players on the floor, you’re going to be searching for answers,” said York Coach Paul Marquis.
It appeared York was in control when Tommy Coughlin finished at the rim with 2:43 left in the third quarter for a 36-25 lead. York was creating turnovers out of its half-court trap and getting contributions from role players like Coughlin and point guard Teagan Hynes to offset a tough shooting game from senior Will MacDonald (team-high 15 points).
Then Andy Raye hit a 3-pointer. As Lausier scored inside to cut the lead to 36-30, Cummins cramped up for the first time. Lausier made all three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt, and the lead was down to 36-33 after three quarters.
“We just need one thing to get us going,” said Andy Raye, a junior guard. “We’re a second-half team. We’ve been one all year.”
Raye, who averaged eight points a game, promptly nailed another 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter.
“Typically to win one of these games, your studs have to be studs and you need one guy who plays better than he typically does,” said Hampden Coach Russ Bartlett.
Hampden built a 48-37 lead before York made its first field goal in almost seven minutes – a 3-pointer from MacDonald. Hampden put the game away by making 19 of 23 free throws in the fourth quarter.
“We had some good opportunities at the rim we weren’t able to finish. We had some looks that were open and we didn’t knock them down,” Marquis said. “And what they did offensively created a lot of (fouls) for us.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
