ATTEMPTING TO CARVE OUT SOME SPACE inside the lane is Lake Region senior forward Nick Hall (center), who is guarded by Cape's Finn Bowe (left) and Justin Guerette. (Rivet Photo)

By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

PORTLAND — When Lake Region and Cape Elizabeth met in the regular season, they were locked up in a see-saw affair.

Eventually, the Lakers escaped with a five-point home win.

The same story line unfolded in the Class B West Finals Saturday, but an “X” factor titled the final outcome to Cape’s favor.

His name was senior guard Ethan Murphy.

Murphy missed the first meeting between the clubs due to illness, but he certainly made his presence felt in the West title game, scoring a game-high 20 points to lead second-ranked Cape Elizabeth to a 51-46 victory over fourth-ranked Lake Region at the Cross Insurance Arena.

With 5:04 left in regulation, Lake Region took a 40-38 lead as Jackson Lesure found Nate Smith for a layup.

Cape Elizabeth Coach Jim Ray called timeout. It proved to be a game changer.

Murphy beat his defender off the dribble twice, scoring five straight points to trigger a deciding 11-0 run — a spurt the Lakers never recovered from.

“I think if we had scored after their timeout, we would have been okay,” Lake Region Coach J.P. Yorkey said. “It was a good game. I did think that we would get some separation, keep it, and close it out for the win.”

Instead, the Capers seized momentum. Lake Region missed a couple of inside shot chances and saw some good looks from the perimeter clang off the rim.

“I haven’t actually watched the video yet, so I couldn’t say specifically. I do recall that we had some good players trying to make some big shots, as they had done before,” Coach Yorkey added. “I also recall us being a little anxious and shooting too quickly a bit. But, they were good looks and shots that the kids can make. It was a big stage and I think that the kids handled themselves well. Right before their run, we had a 10-0 run ourselves.”

Murphy felt very comfortable when the lights were shining the brightest. He added a pair of foul shots with 19.5 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

“I think it was a good senior player (Ethan Murphy) making big plays,” said Coach Yorkey when asked if the Lakers may have been fatigued down the stretch after going to a short rotation in the second half. “Also, our guys got a little amped up there and extended their defensive pressure on the ball and got beat. We had been doing a good job of containing the dribbler. It was more being a little over aggressive on the ball as opposed to just getting beat.”

IN FOR TWO is Lake Region junior point guard Jackson Lesure. (Rivet Photo)
CAPE ELIZABETH 51
Marcus Donnelly 0-0-0, Quinn Hewitt 2-4-9, Ethan Murphy 7-55-20, James Bottomly 0-0-0, Finn Bowe 2-2-7, Edward Galvin 1-6-9, Justin Guerette 2-0-4, Jack O’Rourke 1-0-2.
3-Pointers: Hewitt, Murphy, Bowe, Galvin
Turnovers: 1-3-3-3, 10
Free Throws: 17-of-20
Field Goals: 15-of-43
Rebounds: 23, Finn 8, Murphy 4, Galvin 4
Record: 18-3
LAKE REGION 46
Marcus DeVoe 3-0-6, Nick Hall 4-4-12, Alex Langadas 0-0-0, Jackson Lesure 5-0-10, Brandon Palmer 0-0-0, Quinn Piland 2-1-5, Nate Smith 4-1-11, Tyler Walker 1-0-2, Nicholas Wandishin 0-0-0.
3-Pointers: Smith (2)
Turnovers: 5-2-3-2, 12
Free Throws: 5-of-11
Field Goals: 18-of-37
Rebounds: 23, Smith 5, Hall 5, Lesure 5
Record: 15-6
BOX SCORE
Cape Elizabeth 13-12-13-13 — 51
Lake Region 11-12-13-10 — 46

This title game did not disappoint.

Lake Region rallied from an early 7-1 deficit by showing patience and taking the ball strong to the hoop. Point guard Jackson Lesure started the comeback with a slick pass to Quinn Piland for a layup, and then Lesure drove past his defender for a pair of hoops to give the Lakers a 11-9 lead.

Cape regained the lead as Murphy scored on a drive to the rim, and Finn Bowe sank a pair of foul shots.

Free-throwing shooting would be pivotal in this game. Lake Region struggled in the first half, sinking just 1-of-7 attempts, while the Capers were 11-of-12. For the game, Lake Region was 5-of-11, while the Capers were 17-of-20.

The second quarter saw five lead changes.

Nate Smith netted a 3-pointer for a 16-15 LR lead. Nick Hall’s and Quinn Piland’s hustle in the lane produced a pair of buckets, while Marcus DeVoe turned a steal into an uncontested layup with 2:31 left to put the Lakers up 23-17.

Going 0-for-3 at the foul line, Lake Region saw their lead disappear as Edward Galvin and Bowe each connected on 3-pointers — Bowe’s at the buzzer from the corner — to put the Capers up 25-23 at intermission.

The Lakers’ struggles at the foul line were never more apparent than when Nick Hall spent his time at the halftime warmup working on his foul shooting. One could see the frustration level rise as shots failed to fall. But, Hall (team-high 12 points) refused to quit. After his teammates went to the bench after the horn sounded, the LR senior remained at the line until he finally made one.

His persistence paid off. Hall went 4-for-4 in the third quarter as the Lakers trailed by just a bucket, 38-36.

Smith and Murphy traded 3-pointers in the quarter. The Capers pulled ahead 38-30 with 2:50 left, but the Lakers stormed back behind a jumper from Lesure, two Hall foul shots and a Lesure-to-Hall connection in the final seconds.

The momentum carried over to the fourth quarter as Lesure (10 points) drained a pull-up jumper and then threaded a pass to Smith for a layup to take a 40-38 lead.

Lake Region went 3 minutes, 2 seconds without scoring before Smith finally end Cape’s spurt with a jumpshot. Down 49-42, the Lakers stayed scrappy. Lesure tipped a Cape pass, and DeVoe recovered it. A quick pass to Lesure resulted in a layup with 48.6 seconds left.

Murphy missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 35.3 seconds left, but the Lakers were unable to capitalize as a Smith 3-pointer — which could have pulled the team within one possession — was just off the mark.

Murphy redeemed himself by sinking a pair of foul shots with 19.5 seconds.

LR guard Tyler Walker scored quickly to make it 51-46, but neither team scored again over the final 11.3 seconds as Cape advanced to the State Class B Championship game against Medomak Valley.

While the Lakers fell short in their quest, they could be right back at it next winter with the return of a strong nucleus.

“I am very proud of them, as is their community, and I told them just that,” Coach Yorkey said.