BANGOR, Maine — When Wildcat coach Terry Cummings made the trip to Waterville last Wednesday to scout the Panthers, he saw a different team than the one his squad defeated in a preseason tournament at Presque Isle in early December.
“We wanted to protect the ball and get in the seams of it, and even though we struggled a bit in the first half doing that, we did much better in the second half.”
The result was a 47-45 victory over a Waterville team that was considered one of the hottest in Eastern Maine heading into the game. As a No. 7 seed, the Panthers entered with a 12-game winning streak and a 75-33 win over Old Town in the preliminary round contest. That put PI into somewhat of an underdog role heading into the quarterfinal despite their lofty No. 2 ranking.
“We knew what everyone was saying and felt the pressure would be on them,” Cummings said. “Our guys didn’t feel that pressure, but just felt they had something to prove.”
Presque Isle waited until their favorite quarter, the third, to make a run. The Wildcats trailed throughout the second half, but after Waterville took a 26-21 lead on a transition layup by Jordan Derosby following a PI turnover 40 seconds into the period, Cummings’ team went to work.
Josh Gormley, who ended up as Waterville’s leading scorer with 25 points, had picked up his third foul late in the third and the ’Cats took advantage when he was off the floor. PI outscored the Panthers 13-2 over the next six minutes to take a 34-28 lead. Included in the stretch was 6-8 junior center Brad Shields’ second dunk of the game that followed a nifty drive to the hoop and pass from senior point guard Jonah Stephenson, as well as a pair of perimeter shots (one a three-pointer) by junior reserve guard Michael Boone.
The Panthers never got within four points until a spurt late in the game. Gormley’s putback with seven seconds left made it a two-point game and after a PI turnover, got a shot attempt as time ran out that would have won the game. However, Derosby’s three-point attempt bounced off the rim.
Shields was dominant with 14 points on six for eight shooting from the floor, 12 rebounds and four blocks. He also altered many other Waterville field goal attempts, as his opposing center, 6-7 John-Peter Michaud, was just one for seven in the game.
“He’s had some huge games and a few others where he just hasn’t finished around the basket,” Cummings said. “We reiterated to Brad that Michaud was a hard worker and that he would stay on the court as long as he stayed with him, and he certainly did that.”
Tyler Brooks had a solid game as well with 19 points and eight rebounds, while defensively limiting Chris Hale, one of the top players in EM Class B, to one point on 0-for-9 shooting.
Next up for Presque Isle is MDI, a team it had split with during the regular season. Presque Isle won at home on Dec. 29, 57-51, while losing by one point on Jan. 25, 49-48, despite playing without Brooks and reserve junior guard Cody Lyford, who were both out with injuries. Presque Isle was eliminated by MDI in the semifinal round of last year’s tournament.
“We’re excited to get back to the semis and about having another opportunity to play MDI,” Cummings said. “We know each other well and it should be a great game.”
PRESQUE ISLE (47)
Nickerson 0 0-2 2, Stephenson 1 4-7 6, Boone 2 0-2 5, Easton, Williams, Lyford 1 0-0 2, Willette, Brooks 6 7-11 19, Shields 6 2-2 14. Totals: 16 13-24 47. 3-pointers — Boone, Lyford.
WATERVILLE (45)
Michaud 1 0-0 2, Derosby 3 0-2 6, Jabar 4 3-4 11, Gormley 11 0-0 25, Hale 0 1-2 1, Wood, Brown. Totals: 19 4-8 45. 3-pointers — Gormley 3.
Wildcats 9 12 17 9 — 47
Panthers 12 12 6 15 — 45
