Two years ago, Boothbay pulled off an upset victory over Waynflete in the Class C South boys basketball tournament. On Feb. 20, the two clashed again, but this time one round later, in the regional quarterfinal. The rematch resulted in a different outcome as Waynflete avoided an upset with a 53-41 win at the Augustua Civic Center. 

Waynflete (17-1) entered the 2020 tournament ranked second. Boothbay also entered the contest a high tournament-seed finishing third in the Heal point standings. Boothbay was fresh off victory over No. 1 Winthrop in the Mountain Valley Conference championship. But no matter how much momentum Boothbay had coming into the tournament, the Seahawks struggled to match up against Waynflete’s frontline. On court, the Flyers’ “Big 3” of  6-8 Dominick Campbell, 6-5 Solomon Levy and 6-4 Aidan Kieffer looked more like a skyline than a frontcourt.

Waynflete used its size advantage to keep Boothbay’s offense far away from the hoop. Boothbay’s best scoring chances were mostly deep 3-point attempts. The Seahawks scored 15 field goals with nine being 3-pointers. Trailing by 11, Boothbay’s Sullivan Rice hit the first of five fourth quarter 3-pointers. Crocker hit consecutive 3-pointers midway in the quarter trimming the Flyers’ lead from 13 to six. Waynflete extended its lead to 49-38 before Crocker nailed his third 3-pointer. Rice hit his last 3-pointer in the final minute.

Waynflete may have won with a double-digit lead, but the first quarter hinted at a tight contest between the second and third ranked teams. Waynflete held a slim 14-13 lead after the first eight minutes. The Flyers started strong scoring the game’s first seven points. Levy hit a baseline jumper. Flyer junior Jared Johnson snatched an offensive rebound and scored on a put back. And senior Oliver Burdick drained a 3-pointer. Boothbay responded with a 10-2 run which catapulted the Seahawks to their one and only lead. Junior Kaeden Davis started the run with a three-foot baseline jumper. Campbell snagged an offensive rebound and scored, putting Waynflete ahead 9-2. Morley drained an eight-footer followed a long 3-pointer by Seahawk Ben Pearce. On their next possession, Boothbay took the lead when Pearce was fouled and scored on an out-of-bounds play. He completed the conventional 3-point play with a successful free throw. 

Boothbay’s rally was short-lived as Waynflete regained the lead on consecutive layups by Campbell and a free throw by guard Diraige Dahia. Boothbay’s Davis closed out the quarter with a 3-pointer. The second quarter started like the first. Waynflete went on a 7-0 run before Pearce nailed a 3-pointer cutting the Flyer lead to 23-17. Boothbay hoped a patient offense and stingy defense would score another tournament win over Waynflete. Coach I.J. Pinkham saw Waynflete play twice this season and knew Boothbay needed to play zone to combat Waynflete’s size.

“They are a great team,” Pinkhsam said. “We tried hanging on to the ball as long as we could and pack-in the defense. We did a pretty good job and one point had it down to four points.” 

On offense, Boothbay struggled to find good open shots. Often the best shot was a long 3-point attempt. The Seahawks’ 43 points came on six 2-point field goals, nine 3-pointers, and two free throws. Waynflete scored most of its points in the paint and from the free throw line. The Flyers scored 53 points on 17 2-point field goals, two 3-pointers and 13 for 19 from the free throw line. Flyer Dahia led all scorers with 16. Campbell added 10 and Levy scored eight for the Flyers. “It just wasn’t stopping their big fella. The other two guys had good games, too.” Pinkham said. 

Boothbay’s leading scorer Hunter Crocker was plagued by early foul trouble and didn’t find his shooting touch until the fourth quarter. Crocker scored 11 points, but only had two entering the final stanza. He tallied his remaining points by hitting three long range 3-point shots. Other Seahawk scorers were Pearce with nine, Rice and Morley with six apiece, Davis with five, and Kaleb Ames with four.

The loss wraps up a successful season for Boothbay. Besides winning the MVC championship game, Boothbay posted a 14-4 record, finished third in the Heal point standings and defeated Mountain Valley in the quarterfinals. After the game, Pinkham congratulated his team on a fine season. “I told them that I thought they played a good game and appreciated their efforts this season,” he said. Waynflete advances to the regional final against No. 1 and defending state champion Winthrop on Saturday.