Roadrunners speed by Boothbay in Class C tournament
My ball! Seahawk junior Gryffin Kristan wrestles Mt. Abram’s Payton Mitchell for possession of a loose ball during the first half of Monday’s quarterfinal tournament game at the Augusta Civic Center. Mitchell won the possession and Mt. Abram won the game. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Seahawk junior Kayden Ames goes in for a layup over Mt. Abram’s Trevor Phelps during the second quarter of Monday’s tournament game. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Boothbay senior Lucas Hardwick shoots over Mt. Abram’s Adam Luce in the first half of Monday’s game. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Senior Matt Sullivan looks to drive to the basket during Monday’s game. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Looking to score against Mt. Abram’s Adam Luce is Seahawk junior Ryan Amaral. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Giovanni Warren, a Seahawk junior, gets a step past a Mt. Abram defender on a drive to the basket. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Seahawk senior Sam Page looks to avoid the Mt. Abram defense in a fourth quarter play. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Seahawk junior Connor Wenners drives the baseline. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Ashton McLellan, playing in his final Seahawk game as a senior, gets off a layup in Monday’s game. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Seahawk senior Jordan Carrier gets double-teamed in the lane. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Sophomore Luke Morley receives a pass. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Lucas Hardwick makes a dribble move. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Gryffin Kristan saves a pass from going out of bounds. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Kayden Ames shoots over Adam Luce. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Gryffin Kristan puts up a three-pointer. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
My ball! Seahawk junior Gryffin Kristan wrestles Mt. Abram’s Payton Mitchell for possession of a loose ball during the first half of Monday’s quarterfinal tournament game at the Augusta Civic Center. Mitchell won the possession and Mt. Abram won the game. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Seahawk junior Kayden Ames goes in for a layup over Mt. Abram’s Trevor Phelps during the second quarter of Monday’s tournament game. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Boothbay senior Lucas Hardwick shoots over Mt. Abram’s Adam Luce in the first half of Monday’s game. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Senior Matt Sullivan looks to drive to the basket during Monday’s game. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Looking to score against Mt. Abram’s Adam Luce is Seahawk junior Ryan Amaral. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Giovanni Warren, a Seahawk junior, gets a step past a Mt. Abram defender on a drive to the basket. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Seahawk senior Sam Page looks to avoid the Mt. Abram defense in a fourth quarter play. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Seahawk junior Connor Wenners drives the baseline. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Ashton McLellan, playing in his final Seahawk game as a senior, gets off a layup in Monday’s game. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Seahawk senior Jordan Carrier gets double-teamed in the lane. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Sophomore Luke Morley receives a pass. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Lucas Hardwick makes a dribble move. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Gryffin Kristan saves a pass from going out of bounds. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Kayden Ames shoots over Adam Luce. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Gryffin Kristan puts up a three-pointer. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Fifteen first half turnovers spelled doom for the Boothbay Seahawks in the Feb. 21 Class C South boys quarterfinal clash with Mt. Abram. The Roadrunners’ full and half court zone trapping pressure ran over the Seahawks by racing out to a 22-8 first quarter lead. Boothbay slowed the Roadrunners down a bit in the second quarter outscoring them 18 to 14, and trailed by 10 at halftime.
Not a bad situation for a team which began the game getting beat badly in the transition game after all those turnovers. But the second half, it only got worse, and Mt. Abram’s pressure only intensified as the Roadrunners scored 51 points in the final 16 minutes, and eliminated Boothbay, 87-58 at the Augusta Civic Center.
Boothbay’s entry into this year’s tournament was one of the season’s few bright points. The Seahawks finished 5-13 and in 15th place in the Heal point standings. Boothbay routed Wiscasset in the opening preliminary round and stunned No. 2 Old Orchard Beach to advance to the tournament.
Boothbay drew No. 7 Mt. Abram which completed one of its best seasons in recent history. The No. 7 Roadrunners finished 11-7 including two wins over Boothbay. On Feb. 2, Mt. Abram beat Boothbay, 58-45 which was close for the first half. So the Seahawks’ third chance at beating Mt. Abram occurred at the best possible time. Unlike for long stretches this season, the Seahawks had all five starters playing after the team struggled with COVID-19. Boothbay had won its previous two games including one of the greatest come-from-behind wins in school history.
Against OOB, the Seahawks trailed by 19 in the second half before scoring an upset victory. Coach Dan Hallinan attributed his team’s victory to “focus and execution.”
But round three versus Mt. Ararat resulted in the Roadrunners exploiting the Seahawks’ main weakness. “Pressure is our Kryptonite,” Hallinan said. “We were well-prepared and they threw nothing at us that we didn’t expect. (Mt. Abram) plays well together plus their quickness and athleticism makes it tough on anyone.”
The Roadrunners’ tough defensive effort made scoring difficult, but Boothbay’s Kayden Ames and Gryffin Kristan led the team in scoring with 14 apiece. Other Seahawk scorers were Matt Sullivan, nine, Ryan Amaral, eight; Connor Wenners and Lucas Hardwick, four each; Sam Page and Giovanni Warren, two each; and Ashton McLellan, one.
With a tough season coming a to a close, Hallinan appreciated his players’ efforts. “I told them before the game how proud I was of them. In November, they were kids, and now they turned into young men. I couldn’t be more proud,” he said.
Boothbay’s season ends with a 7-14 mark. Mt. Abram advances to Thursday’s semifinal against No. 3 Dirigo.
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