SCARBOROUGH – Top-ranked Scarborough scored three goals in the final two minutes of the first half and went on to beat No. 2 Kennebunk 6-3 to win the Western Class A boys’ lacrosse title Wednesday night.
The two-time defending state champion Red Storm (13-1) will play Cheverus for the state championship at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.
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Cheverus downed Deering in the other regional final.
Scarborough jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first quarter, only to have the Rams (11-4) tie it with just under three minutes remaining in the first half.
Cam Loiselle then put the Red Storm ahead for good when he fired a shot from 10 yards out.
Andrew Jones, a midfielder, made the defensive play of the game as he intercepted a Kennebunk pass and carried it downfield. Jones passed to John Wheeler on the left side, and Wheeler zipped a pass to Jonathan Blaisdell, who scored from the right side.
Then, with 4.6 seconds left in the half, Wheeler scored his second goal to make it 5-2.
“Those goals were a big momentum shift,” said Wheeler, who finished with three goals and two assists.
“Kennebunk had come back to tie it. We knew going into the game we needed to possess the ball more. We just played our game. Our offense was good enough and the defense was excellent, as always.”
The fact that Jones was in the right place at the right time wasn’t surprising.
“Andrew has been doing that for three years,” said Coach Joe Hezlep. “If he’s not starting our transitions, he’s finishing them. We knew we had to keep pushing the ball.”
Jones honed in on Kennebunk’s formation at midfield and anticipated its next move.
“They had four guys across the top and my man was furthest from the ball,” said Jones. “I was pinching in and the passer telegraphed it.
“John (Wheeler) made a fantastic no-look pass to Blaisdell.”
In the second half, both teams buckled down to play strong defense. Kennebunk got a goal from Clayton Spang with 6:49 left in the third quarter to make it 5-3, but Wheeler matched it with his third of the game on an assist from Jones with 10:11 remaining in the fourth quarter.
“Overall, we played well. We had a few lapses, but we can clean those up before Saturday. When we get the ground balls, it triggers our offense,” said Jones.
Wheeler broke in on goal to open the scoring with 4:55 left in the first quarter. Ryan Pallotta made it 2-0 on an assist from Wheeler with 59 seconds left in the quarter.
Blake Dowe put the Rams on the board at 10:14 of the second quarter. Harrison Hall tied it 2:52 before halftime.
The Red Storm soon turned the game around.
Both goalies played well. Ben Bath of Kennebunk kept his team close with several outstanding stops. David Pearson of Scarborough also came up big.
“He made the saves he had to make,” said Jones. “I think David has been the most consistent goalie in the league.”
The Red Storm are seeking their fifth Class A state championship in seven years. They didn’t play Cheverus during the regular season.
Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at:
tchard@pressherald.com
Twitter: TomChardPPH
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