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YARMOUTH—Two boys basketball teams looking to finish strong and secure the best possible playoff position squared off Tuesday evening at Stroud Gymnasium. By game’s end, the Lake Region Lakers continued their recent surge with a come-from-behind victory over the host Yarmouth Clippers, who are struggling to find their identity after the loss of one of their best players. The Lakers shot to a quick 8-3 advantage, but the Clippers closed the first period on an 11-2 run to lead, 14-10.
Yarmouth went up by as many as 11 points, 25-14, with 3 minutes to go in the first half, but after Lake Region coach Ryan Martin called timeout, the visitors settled in and after pulling within seven, 27-20, at the break, the Lakers battled back within one, 33-32, after three quarters. The teams went back-and-forth in the fourth and after freshman Adam Maxwell pulled the Clippers even with a 3-pointer, Lake Region took the lead for good on a 3-ball from junior Jacoby True with 3:22 on the clock. True added four free throws down the stretch while Yarmouth went cold and the Lakers went on to a 46-40 victory.
True led all scorers 12 points, junior Cooper Smith added 11 and Lake Region won its sixth game in succession, improved to 8-6 and in the process, dropped the Clippers to 8-5. “It’s a very big win,” said True, the son of longtime Lake Region athletic director and former Lakers girls basketball coach Paul True. “This makes a statement.
It’s six (wins) in a row now. We started out pretty hot, then we got frustrated. We’ve worked together and turned it around.
Coach has been calling us warriors, saying warriors battle back, and we’ve taken that to heart.” Crunch time Both teams have shown flashes of brilliance this winter, while also struggling from time to time. The Clippers opened with a 74-47 home loss to York, then defeated visiting Cape Elizabeth ( 71-49 ), host Lake Region (56-52) and host Waynflete ( 70-51 ).
After a 55-32 loss at Spruce Mountain, Yarmouth got back on track with a 73-68 home win over Oceanside, then knocked off host Cape Elizabeth (71-49), visiting Wells (61-44) and host Gray-New Gloucester (67-51). After falling at home to powerhouse Medomak Valley ( 57-45 ) and at Freeport (46-41), the Clippers bounced back Friday with a 46-40 home win over Poland. In the loss to the Falcons, Yarmouth suffered a brutal blow when junior captain and standout Ian Lawrence suffered a season-ending knee injury.
“Besides the points and all the other stuff, Ian was doing the little things and he’s one of the best leaders I’ve had an opportunity to work with,” said Clippers coach Ilunga Mutombo. “He did the little things as far as communicating on offense and defense. It’s tough not to have him.
Everyone else will have to step up a notch for us to play consistent basketball.” As for the Lakers, the season began with victories over Cape Elizabeth (49-38) and Mountain Valley (54-40), but a six-game skid ensued, as they lost to Yarmouth (56-52), Fryeburg Academy (50-44), Medomak Valley (65-40), Gray-New Gloucester (54-46), Spruce Mountain (67-54) and York (63-54). Lake Region then responded with victories over Cape Elizabeth (50-36), Poland (60-42), Wells (63-54), Waynflete (85-42) and Wells again (57-50).
In the teams’ first meeting, Dec. 17 in Naples, Clippers sophomore Evan Oranellas led the way with 18 points and senior Torrey Rogers added 13, as the Clippers held off a late Lakers’ rally. Senior Brock Gibbons led Lake Region with 15 points.
Tuesday, Yarmouth hoped to win its sixth straight game in the series, but instead, Lake Region beat the Clippers for the first time since Jan. 19, 2022 (35-32 in Yarmouth). Saving its best for last to do so.
Yarmouth freshman Adam Maxwell drives to the basket between Lake Region junior Cooper Smith, left, and senior Brock Gibbons early in the Lakers’ 46-40 victory Tuesday. Hoffer photos. Gibbons opened the scoring 20 seconds in, taking a pass from junior Jacoby Bardsley and making a layup.
After Maxwell got the Clippers on the board with a free throw, Smith scored after a spin move, then Maxwell drove for a layup to cut the deficit to one, but Smith made a foul shot, then True buried his first 3, off a pass from senior Aidan Roberts after a turnover, extending the lead to 8-3. Yarmouth then roared to life and closed the first quarter with a flourish. After junior Jayden Pelletier got things started with a reverse layup, Maxwell scored on a putback, then Oranellas sank two free throws for the Clippers’ first lead, 9-8.
Lake Region went back on top on a putback from sophomore Braydan Wilson, but Oranellas buried a 3, then with 35 seconds to go, a putback from senior Bobby Wolff made the score 14-10 heading to the second period. There, Oranellas scored on a putback after a steal and Wolff set up Rogers for a layup to cap a 9-0 surge. After Gibbons found Smith for a layup, Wolff sank a free throw, then senior Wyatt Gawtry knocked down a short jumper.
Smith got two points back with a contested leaner, then Wolff scored on a runner before converting another in the lane to stretch the lead to 25-14 with 3 minutes to go in the half. Martin called timeout and his team responded. After Bardsley made a layup, junior Matthew Plummer put home a miss, then Roberts made a layup after a steal.
“We just had to focus on getting back on defense,” Martin said. “Yarmouth’s a great team in transition. We had to sprint back and (after the timeout) we did a better job of that.
” Wolff stemmed the tide with a layup, from Pelletier, with 9 seconds on the clock, and Yarmouth was up, 27-20, at the break. Wolff led the way in the first half with nine points and seven rebounds, but the Clippers’ offensive production would dry up in the second half. Lake Region junior Matthew Plummer keeps the ball away from Yarmouth junior Andrew Kelly.
True opened the third quarter with a leaner in the lane, but Maxwell answered with a putback. After Bardsley sank a 3, Smith banked home a contested shot to cut the deficit to two. Wolff answered with a putback, but a driving layup from Gibbons made it a two-point game again.
After sophomore Owen Oranellas drove for a layup, Gibbons made a layup and Plummer hit a free throw to pull the Lakers within a single point, 33-32, heading to the fourth period. There, Lake Region took its first lead since the score was 10-9 when Smith drove for a layup. Evan Oranellas put the Clippers back in front with a leaner off the glass, but that would be their last lead.
After Plummer drove for a layup, junior Jaiden Meehan made a layup to put the Lakers up by three. With 3:37 left, Maxwell took a pass from Evan Oranellas and drained a 3 from the corner to tie the score. But just 15 seconds later, Gibbons found True in the corner and True buried a 3 to put Lake Region in front to stay, 41-38.
“I just let it fly and I was happy it went in,” True said. “I have the green light to shoot.” “(Jacoby) knows that he’s the best shooter on the team and when he’s open, he should be shooting the ball,” said Martin.
After a Yarmouth turnover, True was fouled and with 2:16 left, he made both attempts to push the lead to five. After the Clippers gave the ball away again, True was fouled again and he once again made both attempts to make it 45-38 with 2 minutes to go. “I just back up, relax, take a deep breath and shoot with confidence,” said True.
“We’re a tough team to come back on because of (Jacoby) and other guys who are great at the free throw line,” Martin said. Rogers gave the Clippers some hope with a putback with 1:38 remaining, but they couldn’t get any closer, as junior Andrew Kelly missed a three, Rogers failed to convert two free throw attempts and a Wolff putback attempt didn’t fall. With 22 seconds remaining, Gibbons tacked on a free throw and a Plummer steal made it official as the Lakers prevailed, 46-40.
“The guys have just started playing together and trusting each other,” Martin said. “They’re turning into warriors. We’re starting to be better when things get tough.
” True led the way with 12 points. He also had five rebounds. Smith also finished in double figures with 11 points, to go with five rebounds.
Gibbons had seven points (to go with four rebounds and three assists), Bardsley added five (to go with five rebounds, two assists and two steals), Plummer also had five and Meehan, Roberts and Wilson tallied two apiece. The Lakers made 7-of-11 free throws and overcame 14 turnovers. Yarmouth got 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds from Wolff for a double-double.
He also had two assists, two steals and two blocked shots. Maxwell finished with 10 points and six rebounds, Evan Oranellas added nine points, five rebounds, three steals and two steals, Rogers had four points and four rebounds and Gawtry (four rebounds), Owen Oranellas and Pelletier contributed two points apiece. The Clippers had a 38-32 advantage on the glass, but made just 4-of-8 free throws and committed 21 turnovers.
“We got away from our fundamentals,” Mutombo lamented. “We didn’t look like ourselves out there. Lake Region is a very well-coached team.
Their players play hard. They had a desire to compete today.” Crossroads Lake Region (now ranked seventh in the Class B South Heal Points standings) is idle until next Tuesday, when it travels to undefeated York.
“I think we all believe we can go on a run,” True said. “We just have to keep getting better.” “The top six teams get a bye and don’t have a prelim game, but our main focus is to play better one game at a time,” Martin said.
“We have to continue to play hard-nosed basketball and play together. If we make shots, we’re as good as anybody.” Yarmouth (sixth in Class B South) stays home to meet Fryeburg Academy Friday and Gray-New Gloucester next Tuesday.
“We have to find it within ourselves to keep competing regardless of who’s on our schedule,” said Mutombo. “We have to go back to basics and figure out how to salvage the rest of the season. We have that within us.
It’s about working hard from practice to the games. “We don’t even think about playoffs. We’re just thinking about who’s next on the calendar.
Thinking too far ahead takes away from our focus. We want to take the opportunities we have to play good basketball and finish as strong as we can.” BOX SCORE Lake Region 46 Yarmouth 40 LR- 10 10 12 14- 46 Y- 14 13 6 7- 40 LR- True 3-4-12, Smith 5-1-11, Gibbons 3-1-7, Bardsley 2-0-5, M.
Plummer 2-1-5, Meehan 1-0-2, Roberts 1-0-2, Wilson 1-0-2 Y- Wolff 5-1-11, Maxwell 4-1-10, E. Oranellas 3-2-9, Rogers 2-0-4, Gawtry 1-0-2, O. Oranellas 1-0-2, Pelletier 1-0-2 3-pointers: LR (3) True 2, Bardsley Y (2) Maxwell, E.
Oranellas Turnovers: LR- 14 Y- 21 Free throws LR: 7-11 Y: 4-8 Comments are not available on this story. Send questions/comments to the editors. « Previous.
