PORTLAND – Scarborough used an airtight defense in the fourth quarter to clinch its fourth Class A boys’ lacrosse state championship in six seasons Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium, holding Lewiston scoreless for the final 14 minutes to earn a 6-4 win.
“Being in these kind of games, being in this situation before, helped a lot,” Scarborough Coach Joe Hezlep said. “(The players were) coming up to me telling me what they should be doing. That’s what we want, to get into these situations and be tested. When you’re in the playoffs every year, it really helps.”
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It was a disappointing loss for the Blue Devils, making their first appearance in a state final since 2006.
“I got outcoached, and I wish I could do more to help these guys,” Lewiston Coach Bill Bodwell said. “This is a gutsy team and some of the finest young men I’ve ever been associated with, and I wish I could have helped them more.”
Lewiston’s defense kept it in the game until the very end.
“Lewiston is one of the few teams which really get out and play the ball like we do,” Hezlep said. “The good thing is our guys practice against it every day. They see that kind of defense. They weren’t shocked when they saw it (today), and that helped from the start.”
The Red Storm (14-1) jumped out to a 3-0 lead during the first 16 minutes of the game, but Curtis Robinson scored two goals in less than two minutes in the second quarter as the Devils (13-2) closed the gap.
The defensive units from both teams dominated the first 24 minutes. Each team committed 11 turnovers during the first half, and most of them were forced by the aggressive play of the long-pole defenders.
Scarborough won all three draws in the first quarter, when Moore scored two goals to provide an early lead. But Lewiston’s time of possession improved dramatically in the second quarter when it won all four of the draws.
The Blue Devils, who never held the lead, managed to pull into a 4-4 tie with less than three minutes left in the third quarter, but sophomore attackman John Wheeler scored with 49 seconds left in the period to snap the tie and send the Storm into the lead for good.
Lewiston didn’t get another shot on goal until there were four minutes left, with the Storm nursing a two-goal lead.
“(Lewiston) had been doing a good job coming back in the game, and we wanted to give them less opportunities,” Hezlep said. “We knew we could get (our goals) but we felt we were giving them a few too many.”
Scarborough held a 30-23 edge in shots. Each team won seven draws and committed 19 turnovers.
Jon Blaisdell, Nate Hopkins and Ryan Pallotta also scored for the Red Storm, while Sam Cloutier and Abdi Osman scored for the Devils.
Sophomore goalie David Pearson made eight saves for Scarborough, while senior goalie Jesse Leeman, who played the last three games with a broken hand, made nine saves for Lewiston.
Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:
pbetit@pressherald.com
Twitter: PaulBetitPPH
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