No. 13 Livermore Falls upsets No. 5 Telstar to advance to Augusta.
BETHEL – Junior Brad Bryant calmly sank two free throws with 3.7 seconds left to provide the difference as Livermore Falls upset Telstar 76-74 in a Western Maine Class C boys’ preliminary playoff basketball game Wednesday night.
No. 13 Livermore Falls (6-13) advances to play Georges Valley at the Augusta Civic Center next Tuesday night. It will be the Andies first trip to Augusta since 1995.
“I really liked the pace of the game,” Telstar coach Alec Newell said. “Unfortunately, they beat us at our own game. They got (three) easy baskets against us. But, that three pointer (Bred Bryant) when we were ahead by four points was big. Still, you have to give Livermore Falls credit because they came to play.”
Livermore Falls had tied the game on a Dane Hanson basket and then forced a turnover on the ensuing possession. The Andies froze the ball and Bryant (10 points, eight rebounds) was fouled while driving toward the basket.
Bryant swished the first shot and following a time out, banked the second one in.
“I was actually supposed to miss the second one,” Bryant said. “In the fourth quarter, we got down on ourselves, but picked up some energy and made some good decisions.”
No. 5 Telstar, which concludes its season at 12-7, had roared back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Kevin Zinchuk (five points) and Casey Fleet (11 points) sparked the run. The Rebels shot 58 percent in the second half and received good production from Sean Caddigan (16 points) and Josh Longway (18). Ryan Saverge added 10.
Livermore Falls countered with the inside game of Mike Chamard (23 points), Hanson (9 points) and 6-foot-4 Mike Durrell, who added nine points.
“We would have slowed the pace down,” Andies coach Ross Hamblin said. “But Telstar kept pressing, so we switched out of man-to-man to some zones and the (2-1-2) was effective. All my guys played well, starters and reserves.”
The Andies actually won the game from the free throw line by making 12 of 14, including the first nine. Telstar was eight of 11 from the line.
The second quarter proved to be a barnburner as the game was either tied or the lead changed 12 times. Longway scored eight points, including two three-pointers and August Reiss added a trey. The Andies scored the last five points on a Bryant trey and a basket by Garrett Young (14 points) on an offensive rebound.
“These kids didn’t quit,” Newell said. “They gave it all, no matter what was thrown at them throughout the year.”
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