AUGUSTA, Maine – Brewer senior guard Steven Youngs broke his nose in an exhibition game earlier this week getting ready for the quarterfinals of the Class A North tournament. Wearing a protective mask, he made the hard-nosed play of the game, stealing a pass and driving the length of the court for a dunk with 1:12 remaining, giving the third-seeded Witches the momentum they needed to hold off No. 6 Mt. Blue of Farmington 61-60 at the Augusta Civic Center Saturday afternoon.
Second-seeded Hampden Academy earned a semifinal berth against the Witches by pulling out a 40-32 win over No. 7 Gardiner in the later matchup in the bracket.
Brewer (16-3) will take on the 15-4 Broncos for the third time this season at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Hampden beat the Witches in both previous meetings.
The steal and dunk by Youngs gave Brewer a 58-55 lead. Following a Mt. Blue miss, he added 1-of-2 free throws after drawing a foul to up the lead to 4 points with 52 seconds to go.
The Cougars, who stayed in the game with a frantic full-court press, drew within 59-58 on a 3-pointer from the top of the key by senior guard Carter Norton with 24 seconds to go. Mt. Blue then fouled Brewer senior guard Jake Perry who calmly made both free throws.
The Witches superior length and tenacious man-to-man defense enabled them to survive a closing flurry of desperate 3-point attempts by the Cougars, with Mt. Blue’s Cooper Abell adding a meaningless rebound layup at the buzzer.
“They were doing a pick and roll and the ball just came out and was just there and my eyes lit up,” said Youngs, describing his key play after the win. “I was driving down the court and I saw my opportunity and went in for the dunk.”
Youngs said he had some doubt about playing with the facial injury but was thankful for the medical treatment he received.
“The doctor said my nose was broken but they said I could play with a mask. I’m really thankful for the opportunity to still play,’’ he said.
Youngs’ play coupled with the inside dominance of 6-foot-7 Brewer forward Oli Higgins, who dropped in a game-high 22 points, allowed the Witches to survive and advance. Senior guard Charlie Brydges added 14 points for Brewer.
Mt. Blue (13-7) was led by senior guard Tyler Abell’s 21-point effort. Senior forward Nolan Liso chipped in with 14 points.
In the second game, Hampden Academy junior forward Liam Henaghen buried a 3-pointer from the left baseline to give the Broncos some breathing room with a 30-23 lead early in the fourth quarter. Henaghen and senior guard Aiden Kochendoerfer both scored 11 points to lead the team to the win over Gardiner (9-10).
The Tigers led 20-12 with 5:31 left in the third period in a game marked by tough defense from both teams. Gardiner junior guard Brady Peacock scored a game-high 16 points to help forge the lead.
But a rebound and putback by Hampden’s Andy Henaghen at 4:45 of the third quarter ignited a 13-2 run that put the Broncos on a winning track. The run was capped by 3-pointers from Kochendoerfer and Liam Henaghen.
“We played them regular season and they were ahead of us at halftime just like today,” said Hampden coach Russ Bartlett, assessing the tough going against Gardiner after the win. “I think they’re small but they’re tough and they take good shots.”
Bartlett praised his team for working hard at both ends of the floor.
“I thought we did a good job keeping them off the glass and getting second-chance opportunities, which is important,” Bartlett said.
