AUGUSTA, Maine — Cody Laweryson is well-educated in the rich tradition that is Valley High School basketball.
The Cavaliers’ senior was also aware that it had been over a decade since the school’s run of six consecutive state championships between 1998 and 2003.
Valley’s Cody Laweryson protects the ball from Easton’s Logan Halvorson, right, and Jordan Doody during the Class D state championship Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center.
(Courtesy of Amber Waterman)
Now, a new group of Cavaliers led by one of the engineers of the old dynasty perhaps started a new one Saturday, as Laweryson and Collin Miller combined for 34 points to help coach Luke Hartwell’s club earn a hard-fought 55-44 Class D boys basketball victory Saturday over Easton at the Augusta Civic Center.
“It is the most important sport at Valley, no question, just because of that streak and the tradition and how good Valley basketball can be,” said Laweryson, who racked up 18 points and hauled down 12 rebounds to help his team cap off a 21-0 season.
Easton, making its first appearance in a state championship game since 1980, finished the season 19-4.
The Cavaliers had to withstand an early Easton run, as the Bears jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the game’s first three minutes, but there was no panic on the part of Hartwell or his team as they responded with a 19-4 surge.
“I don’t like to bail teams out with timeouts,” said Hartwell. “I tell the guys you’ve got to be able to play through that. I didn’t use one in the first half. I think the guys responded. The guys don’t get rattled, they’ve been in big games like this before.”
“We tend to come out slow but we did a good job coming back late in the first quarter and early in the second quarter,” Laweryson said. “That gave us confidence.”
Easton’s Jacob Flewelling, right, grabs for a loose ball while Logan Halvorson trips over Valley’s Collin Miller and teammate Collin Sotomayor dives into the fray during the Class D state championship Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center. Valley won the game, 55-44.
(Courtesy of Amber Waterman)
Problem was, coach Manny Martinez’ resilient Easton club did not get rattled either, answering the Cavs’ run with a 13-5 run in the second quarter to pull to within two at halftime.
Part of that was the Bears doing a better job defensively on Laweryson.
“I knew it wasn’t going to be a blowout,” said Martinez. “We just wanted to do our best to defend and box out and rebound.”
The Bears attempted to use a box and one in attempting to contain the 6-foot-4 Laweryson, but the Cavs had other players such as Miller (16 points) and Cates (11) to chip in as Valley slowly pulled away in the second half.
“His height advantage really” bothered us, Martinez said of Laweryson.
Easton’s Jacob Flewelling kept his team within striking distance in the second half, during which he scored 12 of his game-high 20 points, but the Bears struggled to get stops consistently.
Easton senior Drew Sotomayor makes a reverse layup past Valley guard Cody Laweryson in the second half of the Class D state championship Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center.
(Courtesy of Amber Waterman)
Valley would hit its free throws down the stretch to pull away, and Laweryson, who will head to the University of Maine on a baseball scholarship this fall, capped it off with a thunderous dunk that could’ve been heard back in Bingham.
“It was just an open opportunity,” Laweryson said. “I saw there was nobody in the paint so why not?”
Hartwell, who won four gold balls as a player at Valley, was happy with the composure his team exhibited throughout the afternoon.
“I can give them my experiences,” he said, “I tell the guys when you get in these moments it’s about staying poised and composed.”
Drew Sotomayor and Logan Halvorson had nine points each for Easton.
Valley 55, Easton 44
Easton (19-4)
Currier 0-0 0-0 0, Halvorson 3-20 2-2 9, Flewelling 0-0 0-0 0, Brown 0-0 0-0 0, Kinney 0-0 0-0 0, D. Sotomayor 4-13 0-0 9, Brown 3-4 0-0 6, Hathaway 0-0 0-0 0, Hanscomb 0-1 0-0 0, Doody 0-1 0-0 0, Flewelling 10-19 0-2 20; Totals: 20-58 2-4 44
Valley (21-0)
Laweryson 6-8 4-4 18, Ames 1-2 0-0 3, Malloy 2-4 0-0 5, Farnham 0-1 0-0 0, Miller 6-15 4-6 16, Beane 1-3 0-0 2, Cates 4-9 2-3 11; Totals: 19-42 10-13 55
Easton 12 25 35 44
Valley 22 27 39 55
3-point goals: Easton 2-14: Halvorson 1-10, D. Sotomayor 1-4; Valley 5-9:Laweryson 2-2, Ames 1-2, Malloy 1-2, Cates 1-2, Farnham 0-1
