By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
BANGOR, Maine — Caribou sophomore Donovan Savage has already made a number of big shots in his short career with the Vikings.
But none were bigger than the two free throws Saturday morning that gave No. 4 Caribou a 63-61 victory over No. 5 Winslow in one of the most entertaining games played on the day at the Cross Insurance Center during the Class B boys quarterfinal round. The Vikings improve to 16-4, while Winslow finishes its season also at 16-4. Caribou faces a familiar foe in No. 8 Hermon at 3:35 p.m. Wednesday in the semifinals.
With the game knotted at 61-61 and just 4.9 seconds remaining, Savage calmly stepped to the line and sank a pair of free throws to give the Vikings the dramatic victory.
“I just knew if I put them (free throws) in, we win,” Savage said. “I needed to make those shots.”
Just a few seconds earlier, Savage missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw situation, but his coach was confident, when given the opportunity a few seconds later, his player would convert.
“I told the guys in the huddle (before Savage’s free throws) that we were already up two points because that is just how much confidence I have in his abilities,” Caribou coach Chris Casavant said. “Donovan has a lot of mental toughness.”
Junior Dayne Savage, Donovan’s older brother, led Caribou with 22 points, while Donovan chipped in 12. Senior Matt Milliard also netted 12 for the Vikings, while seniors Cody Herbert added nine; Derek Richardson, six; and Kameron Manter, two.
For Winslow, senior Trevor Lovely led the charge with 20 points, including six 3-pointers, while juniors Justin Martin chipped in 13 and Nason Lanphier added 12.
“We had our chances to put (Winslow) away earlier, but didn’t,” Casavant said. “We were pleased to have a chance at the end.”
Lovely evened the game at 61-61 when he converted a shot from inside the paint with six seconds to play. But on the ensuing possession, the Raiders inadvertently committed the foul, stopping the clock and giving Caribou a chance to win the game.
After Donovan Savage made his two free throws to put the Vikings on top, coach Casavant called a timeout to make sure his team had the right defensive scheme in place.
“I know they (Winslow) were out of timeouts, but I felt it was important for us to set up our defense,” he said. “With them in transition, if we let them inbound and fly, we could have given up a three in that situation.”
With the victory, Caribou advances to the semifinals for the first time since 2002.
“I’m extremely pleased for these kids,” Casavant said. “I thought we had a chance to get to the semis last year, but a good Foxcroft Academy beat us. For the seniors on this team, I really wanted them to reap all the benefits of getting to a semifinal. I think this (tournament) is wide open.”
The statement would ring true as later in the day No. 8 Hermon (12-8) upset top-ranked Oceanside (16-2) 68-63 in overtime. Caribou is now the highest remaining seed in the Class B boys tournament.
