PORTLAND — Jahrel Registe of Falmouth went high for an offensive rebound in the fourth quarter. He passed to Stefano Mancini, who hit a short jumper.
They were two of Mancini’s 24 points and quelled Cape Elizabeth’s rally.
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But the play wouldn’t have been possible without Registe.
“I knew we needed something to happen,” said Registe. “I just went after the ball.”
The play reassured second-seeded Falmouth, which won its first Western Class B boys’ basketball title Saturday with a 53-40 victory against top-ranked Cape Elizabeth at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
“It was the biggest rebound of the game,” said Falmouth Coach Dave Halligan.
Registe did what he does best, and so did Mancini.
“Stef was Stef,” said Halligan. “There’s no hesitation in his game.”
Cape Elizabeth (19-2), bidding for a third straight regional title, cut a 15-point deficit to five.
Mancini then missed from 3-point range, but Registe grabbed the ball and passed to Mancini, who sank a short jumper to make it 41-34.
Moments later, Cape was assessed an intentional foul. Ryan Rogers made 1 of 2, and the Yachtsmen retained possession.
Cape tried to stay in it, trailing by six with less than a minute left, but Falmouth scored its last seven points from the line.
“Cape was really building momentum,” said Mancini. “That play really helped calm us down.”
Falmouth (20-1), which won three straight Class C titles at the end of the 1990s, will play Camden Hills, the defending Class B champion, at 9 p.m. Friday at the Bangor Auditorium.
Falmouth and Cape split two regular-season games, each winning on the road. The Capers’ win in the regular-season finale enabled them to overtake Falmouth for the No. 1 seed.
Cape carried the play in that one, but strong Falmouth defense this time made the Capers work for their shots. And unlike that last game, Cape was misfiring, particularly in the third quarter when Falmouth went on a 17-5 run.
Mancini, who was named the winner of the Pierre Harnois Trophy as the tournament MVP, had four 3-pointers.
“I think we put too much pressure on ourselves in the last game with Cape,” said Mancini. “We were worrying about the 18-0 record. We learned a lot from the last game.
“We just came out and played. We got the monkey off our backs with the win, but it’s not going to mean as much if we don’t win the state title.”
After Mancini scored on a drive to give his team a 20-19 halftime lead, John Roberts, Falmouth’s 6-foot-7 center, hit two from the line to open the second half.
Cape then missed two in-close shots. Roberts followed with a three-point play to make it 25-19.
Falmouth turned up its defensive intensity in the second half and Cape never caught up.
“We contested Cape’s shots in the second half,” said Halligan. “John Roberts came to play in the second half.”
Theo Bowe led Cape with 14 points.
“Falmouth played tough defense and did a better job getting their other players involved in the offense than the last time,” said Cape Elizabeth Coach Jim Ray. “And trying to deal with Mancini is a handful.”
Staff Writer Tom Chard can be reached at 791-6419 or:
tchard@pressherald.com
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