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| Staff Photo/Joseph Cyr AIRBORNE — Washburn sophomore Cameron Bragg goes high for a layup attempt during Monday morning’s game against Bangor Christian. The Beavers snuck away with a 70-69 win. |
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
BANGOR — That collective sigh of relief was the sound of Washburn fans breathing easier after the Washburn boys held on for a one-point victory in Monday’s Eastern Class D quarterfinal game against Bangor Christian.
No. 2 Washburn (19-1 overall) outlasted No. 7 Bangor Christian (13-7), 70-69, in tourney action. With the win, the Beavers advance to Thursday’s semifinal contest against No. 3 Central Aroostook at 7:05 p.m. at the Bangor Auditorium.
In the regular season, Washburn beat CAHS, 54-52, at Mars Hill and 82-39 at Washburn.
“That was a nail-biter,” said Washburn coach Randy Norsworthy. “Bangor Christian is a very athletic team and we were very concerned coming into this game with their ability to rebound and their athleticism.”
Washburn’s Mitch Worcester had a slow start to the game, but by the final buzzer he led all players with 34 points, 13 rebounds, one block and three assists. Cameron Bragg chipped in 10 points, four rebounds, three steals and an assist, while Nick Bragg added nine points, one rebound, one assist and four steals.
For the Patriots, Seth Pearson tallied 16 points to lead the way.
Bangor Christian had two chances for the win, with possession of the ball and 29 seconds remaining in the game but came up short on both shots. David Peters lofted an open 3-pointer that clanged off the front of the rim and was rebounded by Washburn’s Noah Caron, who alertly handed the ball to the team’s best player – Worcester.
Worcester was immediately fouled, stopping the clock with 1.5 seconds remaining. Worcester missed the first free throw and then, following a Washburn timeout, he intentionally missed the second, allowing Bangor Christian to rebound the ball with 0.5 seconds to play.
“We did that on purpose,” Norsworthy said. “That way they get the ball with just 0.5 seconds and that makes it awfully hard for them to get a quality shot.”
After the timeout, the Patriots had an opportunity of one final desperation play — a full-court pass for a tip-in. The Patriots’ prayers were nearly answered as Ken Van Dyne elevated and got his hands on the ball, but he was unable to send it toward the basket.
Bangor Christian led by as many as seven points in the first half and was up five, 38-33, at halftime. But in the second half, the Beavers, and particularly Worcester, heated up. Worcester scored Washburn’s first 12 points of the third quarter to make it a one-possession game, 55-53, after three periods.
“We ran our zone offense against their man-to-man defense, which put Mitch into the paint,” Norsworthy said. “He’s a tough matchup inside and it got him going in the second half with some much easier looks to the basket.”
