AUGUSTA — Rangeley kept the game within reach for most of the first half, but Valley dominated the third quarter en route to a resounding 62-27 victory in Monday’s Class D South boys basketball quarterfinal at Augusta Civic Center.
No. 2 Valley (11-4) will face No. 6 Pine Tree (8-11) on Thursday at 10 a.m. in the D South semifinals.
At the end of the first quarter and into the start of the second quarter, seventh-seeded Rangeley (5-11) hit three 3-pointers in a row — by three different players — to turn a 15-6 deficit into a 15-15 tie with 5:25 left in the first half.
The Lakers trailed 18-17 with 3:22 left in the period before Valley locked down on defense and didn’t allow any more points from Rangeley for the rest of the half.
In the final minute of the second quarter, Harry Louis had back-to-back fast break layups to stretch Valley’s lead to 26-17 heading into halftime.
The Cavaliers took control of the game in the third, opening the period with a 13-2 run to extend their lead to 39-19 with 4:30 left in the quarter.
Rangeley’s season-long injury problem showed up again Monday, as center Chase Charmichael started the game but quickly exited with a nagging injury.
“You look at that final score, it looks like a blowout, but we were right there at the half,” Lakers coach Jeff Larochelle said. “Then when it starts to slip, we get down. Not having my center, Chase, gives me one less guy to sub in. Losing him hurts. And the whole year has been that way. We’ve been injured constantly and not being able to put a run together. Then we had eight games in 10 days, and you’re literally drawing everything on the chalkboard and not being able to look at anything. We just got tired, no close-outs, hands down.”
Rangeley’s Trevor Dolbier went on a 5-0 run himself to temporarily stop Valley’s surge, making it a 39-24 deficit for the Lakers with 3:23 left in the third.
With three minutes left, Louis, an eighth-grader, and Ryon West, a sophomore, traded baskets for Valley on three consecutive fast breaks to make it 47-24. Louis scored nine of his game-high 17 points in the third, capped off by a fast break layup at the buzzer, and Valley finished the quarter with a 53-24 lead.
Many of the starters from both teams spent most of the final period on the bench.
Fisher Tewksbury, another eighth-grader, scored 16 points for Valley.
“Hats off to Valley, (head coach) Mike (Staples) has done a great job with those guys,” LaRochelle said.
Larochelle said rebounding was a problem for the Lakers in the second half.
“We didn’t rebound at all,” LaRochelle said. “We missed rebounds at the foul line, which I have said all year has been a problem. At least when we rebound, we are in the game. We turn and then we are at the liberty of where the ball hits the rim. Even if you get the rebound you still don’t block out the next shot. There were times they had three rebounds in a row.”
Dolbier finished with 13 points to lead Rangeley.
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