Two of Class B North’s top boys teams headed into Wednesday’s semifinal matchup with two of the state’s top coaches on the bench.
And in the chess match between Hermon coach Mark Reed and Gardiner coach Aaron Toman, the powerful Gardiner offense was king down the stretch.
The No. 2 Hawks of Hermon and No. 3 Tigers of Gardiner played a close and low-scoring game through three quarters, with Hermon’s team defense and controlled pace of play slowing Gardiner’s offense that averaged over 64 points during the regular season.
Toman knew that he and the Tigers would have to account for Hermon’s methodical approach.
“Going into a game like that, you know that your possessions on offense mean so, so much. So a turnover against a team like that, or a poor shot against a team like that, you’re just not guaranteed to go down and score the next time — or even the next two to three possessions down.”
The Tigers eventually found their offensive stride in the fourth quarter en route to a 50-33 win.
“So it’s just trying to maximize each possession,” Toman continued about his team’s game plan on Wednesday. “And for us, that means trying to get down hill, passing over good shots for great shots, let’s not take contested shots, let’s not drive through single gaps, let’s move the ball side-to-side and make them guard.”
Toman was named Class B North coach of the year this season. Reed is no stranger to coaching awards either, having been named USA Today’s Maine coach of the year in 2018.
The Gardiner Tigers were able to win that chess match between top coaches by finding their offensive production late. The game was close after three quarters with Gardiner up 28-24.
Senior forward Brady Atwater gave the Tigers a huge lift in the fourth quarter, scoring five straight points for his team with a 3-pointer and then an offensive rebound and putback layup.
“Brady Atwater has had a great tournament thus far,” Toman said. “I’m really proud of him, because I don’t know if he scored in the first half. He came back and had a really big second half for us.”
Toman couldn’t remember exactly what he told his team before that strong fourth quarter finish, but he said his message after the third was about staying with the flow of the game.
“He just has so much faith in us,” Atwater said about the Tigers coach. “We just want to bring it against everybody.”
