Bobby Moore scores 21 points as the Phoenix cruise past Pine Tree Academy.
AUGUSTA – With their workhorse, Rich Ortega, hobbled by knee problems during Wednesday’s Western Class D semifinal, top-seeded Hyde needed a collective effort to get past No. 4 Pine Tree Academy.
Turns out that’s been the rule much more than the exception this year for the Phoenix.
Ortega, who scored 33 in Hyde’s quarterfinal win over Rangeley last Saturday, struggled with a hyperextended left knee suffered while practicing Tuesday.
The 245-pound center managed no field goals and just two free throws, but fellow senior Bobby Moore stepped in and picked up the slack, pouring in a game-high 21 as Hyde knocked off PTA, 60-37.
“Those game are few and far between. It’s usually been a collection of guys scoring this year,” Hyde coach Tom Bragg said. “I think it’s better having a collection of guys because the opposing team can’t key on one person.”
Hyde (15-1) will face No. 2 Valley, the six-time defending state champions, in the regional final Saturday. Joe Gallant added 12 points and five steals for the Phoenix. Jared Verrill led PTA with 16 points.
Poor Hyde shooting in the fist half (12-for-33) allowed the Breaker(16-4) to hang in, down 25-20 at the half.
PTA might have been in even better shape had it not committed three times as many turnovers (12-4) as the Phoenix.
“I think in the first half the kids were looking ahead to Valley and weren’t really playing the way they could have played,” Bragg said. “Fortunately, in the second half they got it together and got things together. The thing I was worried about in the first half was allowing Pine Tree to get some confidence and letting them hang around.”
But Hyde closed out the third quarter with a 13-0 run to take a 19-point advantage into the final period.
The Phoenix bounced back from their first half shooting woes by hitting 50 percent of their shots in the second half, even though their top inside threat, Ortega, was obviously struggling to get any lift off his bad knee to finish off his shots.
“I didn’t think he was going to play today because it did stiffen up on him,” Bragg said. “I think it’s still a concern for Saturday’s game. Hopefully we can get him as close to 100 percent as possible.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.