A quick burst by Williamson to end the half halts CMCC’s momentum.
By Kevin Mills
Staff Writer

AUBURN – After spending much of the first half getting back within reach of the lead Friday night, the Central Maine Community College men’s basketball team didn’t get to enjoy the fruits of its labor for very long.

The Mustangs scrapped and clawed their way back to within two points late in the first half only to watch Williamson Trade School produce a quick burst to bounce the lead back to seven by halftime.

Then in the second half, the Mechanics padded the lead early and never looked back in a 71-50 win in their USCAA Division II National Championship semifinal.

“They’re bigger and stronger than we are,” said CMCC coach Dave Gonyea. “I’m proud of our guys. We came to play. We played really hard. It’s a game of shots and our shots didn’t drop, and their shots dropped.”

The win advanced Williamson Trade School, of Media, Pa., to Saturday’s championship game against Arkansas Baptist at 5:30 p.m. CMCC will play World Harvest Bible College, of Columbus, Ohio, in the 4 p.m. game for third place.

After falling behind by as many as 11 points in the first half, CMCC produced a 9-0 run to get within 26-24 in the final minute of the half, but the Mechanics produced two quick scores in the final 20 seconds to up the advantage to 31-24. Anthony Carmona hit a jumper and Justin Seng scored on a heave from just inside halfcourt.

After the intermission, the Mechanics kept rolling. CMCC closed to within 36-31 in the opening minutes but a three-point play by Chad Johnson, a 3-pointer from Carmona and a basket by Anthony Griffin quickly built up the lead to 13.

“We knew that they were going to make runs,” said Williamson coach Bill Michaels. “They’re such a good basketball team. They’re very seasoned, and they’re disciplined. We knew they were going to make runs. We just wanted to withstand those runs, maintain our composure and stick to our game plan of moving the basketball and trying to work it inside-outside.”

Carmona finished with 25 points, including seven 3s, for the top-seeded Mechanics. Johnson added 22 points and 15 rebounds while Anthony Smith chipped in 12 points.

The Mechanics did a nice job taking away the inside game from the Mustangs. After Chris Brackett and Chris Havens combined for 44 points in Thursday’s win over Christendom, those two were held to a combined 11 points Friday.

“We felt like that was a strength for us,” said Michaels. “Our post players aren’t neccessarily bigger, but they’re a little stronger. They have a little more weight. They’re a little huskier, and we tried to take advantage of that inside.”

CMCC was left with relying on its outside shot for much of the second half and couldn’t match Williamson’s explosiveness.

Josh Berard led the Mustangs with 17 points, while Patrick Dempsey had 12.

“I kept going to the bench trying to find a spark,” said Gonyea. “I kept trying different guys trying to find a spark, but it just didn’t’ happen.”

The Mustangs went 5:29 without scoring early in the second half. CMCC eventually cut the lead to 54-45 with 6:32, but a 10-1 spurt nixed that comeback.

“They’re incredibly athletic,” said Gonyea. “They get up and down. Our game plan was effective for 25 minutes. I thought we tried to mix it up in the second half. We tried to go man to zone and man to zone to disrupt them a little bit. Everytime they needed a big hoop, Carmona stuck a hoop.”

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