AUGUSTA – As is often the case with the nightcap for the Western B quarterfinals, about half of the Augusta Civic Center crowd headed for the exits at halftime, thinking the top seed had the game well in hand.
What those unlucky folks missed was the upset of the tournament so far, and one of the most emotional wins the tournament will ever see, as No. 8 Cape Elizabeth came back from a 10-point halftime deficit Saturday to defeat top-seeded Falmouth 44-42.
Joe Geoghegan’s layup at the buzzer sent Cape fans streaming onto the floor as the Capers clinched a spot in Wednesday’s semifinals against fourth-seeded Lake Region.
With the game tied, a five-second violation on Falmouth gave Cape (8-12) the ball with eight seconds left. Pat Doherty took a pass at the top of the key, dribbled to the foul line, then spotted an open Geoghegan along the baseline for the winning basket.
“I just wanted to stay open for a rebound in case Pat Doherty was able to dish one off,” said Geoghegan, who led the Capers with 16 points. “I was wide open and he made a perfect pass and I just hoped I had time to get the shot off.”
The win proved extra sweet for the Capers, as it came against their former teammate, Danny Forcella, who transferred to Falmouth following a controversy surrounding Cape coach Jim Ray during this past off-season.
The Capers shadowed Forcella all over the court with Matty Reid, and fronted Falmouth’s top big man, 6-foot-8 Darren Mastropaolo, in the post. While the strategy didn’t shut Mastropaolo down (game-high 19 points), it did take Forcella out of the flow of the offense, particularly down the stretch, when the Yachtsmen (17-2) made several key turnovers.
Falmouth led by 10 after one and maintained that lead going into intermission. The Yachtsmen led by as much as 11 in the third, but Cape went on an 11-2 run to end the quarter to get within two.
“Our defense was great against Forcella and Mastropaolo, and we made the third quarter run and started hitting our shots,” Geoghegan said. “It adds something extra to beat Forcella and coming in as a Cinderella team.”
who everybody counted out.”
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