Comeback falls short for FF boys
By Joseph Cyr
Sports Editor
BANGOR — Hopes of returning to the Eastern Class D championship were dashed for the Fort Fairfield boys basketball team Monday as the No. 7 Tigers fell 72-70 to No. 2 Jonesport-Beals.
Staff Photo/Joseph Cyr
REBOUNDING — Brandon Clark (42) and Jahleel Williams of the Fort Fairfield Tigers lunge for the loose ball during Monday’s quarterfinal game at the Bangor Auditorium against Jonesport-Beals.
Tigers 70
Royals 72
The Tigers finish their season with an 11-8 record, while Jonesport-Beals improves to 17-1 and faces No. 3 Washburn (17-2) 7:05 p.m. Thursday in the semifinals. The Beavers advanced to the semifinals with a 66-51 win over Katahdin Monday.
Travis Noyes had a sensational game, netting 26 points for the Tigers. Dylan Caldwell and Dereck Dufour each added 11; Jahleel Williams, seven; and Austin Bernier, five.
For Jonesport-Beals, Garrett Beal had 26 points; Matt Alley, 20; Justin Alley, 14; Matt Jenkins, six; Zach Smith, four; and Vinal Crowley, two.
“I couldn’t be more proud of these guys than I am right now,” Fort Fairfield coach Todd Alley said. “We have dug ourselves holes before and have had to battle back all year.”
The Royals pressed early, but it didn’t bother Fort Fairfield much as the two teams traded baskets for the first four minutes. Jonesport-Beals then went on a 15-0 scoring run over the final four minutes to take a commanding 17-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
Fort Fairfield was ice cold from behind the 3-point arc in that first quarter, and for much of the first half. In the second quarter, the Tigers slowly clawed their way back into the game, cutting the Royals’ lead down to 13 by halftime, 34-21.
The perimeter shooting finally came to life in the third stanza, as Dufour drilled three 3-pointers, while Noyes, Bernier and Williams also converted from behind the arc. Fort Fairfield cut the lead to one (48-47), with 24 seconds remaining, when Williams stole the ball at mid-court and raced in for an uncontested layup, bringing the Tiger faithful to their feet.
“We did a decent job of rebounding against their bigger players, and limited [the Royals] to just one shot in the final quarter,” Alley said. “That is what got us back into the game, as did our 3-point shooting.”
Late in the fourth quarter, Jonesport-Beals’ big gun, Beal, was in danger of fouling out of the game after picking up his fourth foul. Coach Alley said he chose not to attack that player in the hopes he would foul out because that went against the strength of his team.
“When you try to attack one specific player, you run the risk of turning the ball over,” he said. “Our strength is Noyes touching the basketball every time down the court. They [Jonesport-Beals] were smart and took Beal off Travis.”
The Tigers knotted the game at 64-64 with 2:08 to play when Clark sank a pair of free throws. Fort Fairfield was unable to get the go-ahead basket, however, and the Royals hung on for the win.
Fort Fairfield was 13-of-20 (65 percent) from the free throw line, while the Royals were 10-of-18 (56 percent) from the stripe.
TIGERS 8 13 29 20 — 70
ROYALS 25 9 14 24 — 72
