AUGUSTA — Even in the history of one of Maine’s most storied programs, the state championship won Friday night by the Falmouth boys basketball team will forever stand as one of the most memorable ever.
It came from a seemingly impossible place for a Navigators team that trailed by eight with just 1 minute, 43 seconds remaining in regulation. Yet it wasn’t impossible as Falmouth rode one of the all-time greatest individual performances to the mountaintop.
Davis Mann scored 43 points, and Falmouth roared back for a 70-60 win over Messalonskee in the Class A state championship game at the Augusta Civic Center. It was the ninth state championship for Falmouth, and its second in Class A (2016).
“It’s got to be one of the top games ever, just because of the situation with being down and coming back,” said Dave Halligan, who won his seventh Gold Ball as Falmouth’s coach. “You tell kids, ‘Never give up, never ever give up,’ and they didn’t.”
Mann scored 18 points of Falmouth’s 22 points in the fourth quarter, then added eight more in overtime. He finished three points shy of the Class A state final record set by Brunswick’s Ralph Mims in 2004.
“It feels pretty indescribable; it hasn’t really set in yet,” Mann said. “I knew the ball was going (in the) hoop, and I knew I had to keep attacking all game and getting those open looks, not just for me but for my teammates.”
Powered by six early points from Mann, Falmouth (19-3) took a 9-5 lead to the second quarter. He then had another six-point burst early in the second quarter, and the Navigators held a 17-12 lead midway through the quarter.
Messalonskee, though, would answer.
Led by Ty Bernier (24 points), the Eagles (19-3) went on an 8-0 run to take the lead for the first time. Mann answered with a basket, but Messalonskee follow with another 8-0 spurt, this one highlighted by a Ryan Parent 3-pointer with 30 seconds left in the half.
“We started off the game well, and then we got out of our game a little bit,” Halligan said. “I thought this was going to be a tough matchup just like it was. … I’ve seen them play a couple times, and they’re legit. They deserved to be here, and they gave us all we could handle.”
Messalonskee capped a 20-2 run early in the third quarter and led 32-19. The margin hovered around the 10-point mark for most of the quarter, until a three-point play from Mann with 0.4 seconds made it a seven-point game entering the fourth.
Mann opened the fourth quarter with another basket, but Bernier hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Eagles up 11. The Navigators again clawed back, but after two Drake Brunelle free throws with 1:43 remaining, Messalonskee led 51-43.
Yet after Jaxon Cameron cut the deficit to six, Falmouth’s press forced a turnover that led to a Mann 3-pointer. Then, with 31 seconds left, Mann made a play bigger than any of his baskets – a perfect pass to David Graiver, who scored on a backdoor cut to tie the game at 54.
“I saw David open, and I knew his defender was coming to take the charge, so I just kind of hucked the pass over my shoulder,” Mann said. “I knew he was going to make it; I trust him fully for that.”
Falmouth rode the momentum into overtime, scoring the first eight points. With the score 64-58, the Navigators got two free throws and a basket from Mann to turn a once-daunting deficit into a double-digit lead.
The loss was a cruel way for Messalonskee to fall short of the first state title in program history. The Eagles led for nearly 19 minutes of game time — nearly all of it by multiple possessions — but key mistakes and turnovers down the stretch saw their championship dreams fade away.
“I think we played not to lose instead of playing to win, and we had some turnovers and missed free throws,” said Messalonskee coach Sam Smith. “We had our chances, and we didn’t convert, so credit to them. … I told (our players) that everyone should hold their heads high; things just didn’t go our way tonight.”
For Falmouth, though, it was a dream finish for 12 seniors. As freshmen and sophomores, they lost state finals to Nokomis and Brewer, respectively, the latter in heartbreaking fashion. Then, last year, they lost a stunner to Westbrook in their tournament opener.
It was why the Navigators refused to be denied this time, and why many years from now they’ll be able to look back and say they won one of the all-time great games in Maine tournament history.
“We lost freshman year and sophomore year and didn’t get far last year, so this is all I could ever dream of,” said Falmouth senior Billy Burks. “Somehow, we got it done.”
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