Falmouth kept things simple Monday, relying on its tournament motto, “Survive and advance.”

The Yachtsmen managed to do both, and they came away knowing simple and easy are two very different concepts.

Jack Simonds scored from in close and hit a foul shot with 22 seconds left in overtime to lead Falmouth to a 48-47 comeback win over upset-minded Westbrook in a Western Class A boys’ basketball quarterfinal at the Portland Expo.

“(Jon Shaw) tipped (the ball) to me, I just finished and the (defender) just happened to hit me,” said Simonds (20 points, 12 rebounds). “I got the foul shot and I’ll take any old foul shot.”

Third-seeded Falmouth (16-3) moves on to a regional semifinal against second-seeded South Portland on Friday night at Cross Insurance Arena. Westbrook, the No. 11 seed that reached the quarterfinals with a 66-61 upset of No. 6 Bonny Eagle in a prelim, finished 9-11.

“These kids don’t quit,” said Falmouth Coach Dave Halligan. “Jack is special. He’s one of those kids you ride as far as you can.”

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The Yachtsmen took their first lead of the game with just 1:45 to play in regulation, when Sam Skop took a nice feed from Luke Velas and drove to the basket to make it 43-41. Sean Jany tied it at 43 for Westbrook with a jumper from the top of the key. Falmouth held the ball to burn 20 seconds off the clock before taking a timeout with 11.9 to play. Colin Coyne’s 3-point shot from beyond the NBA stripe rattled in and out at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.

“They were hitting big shots and we were getting the shots we wanted, they just weren’t falling,” said Falmouth shooting guard Thomas Coyne (15 points, five steals). “There were times I wasn’t feeling too good about it. We just had to keep grinding and cause turnovers. Our motto is ‘Survive and advance.’ It’s tournament time; it doesn’t matter if you win by one or 30.”

Moses Abwoch (10 points) opened overtime with a drive and layup, and Blake Fillmore hit both ends of a 1-and-1 to give Westbrook a 47-43 lead with 2:10 to play. Thomas Coyne missed a 3, grabbed the rebound and scored on a layup with 1:20 to play to pull Falmouth within two points. The teams traded turnovers and Coyne stole the ball and drove the lane. His layup was blocked but Simonds followed the play, scored on a putback and drew a foul. He hit the free throw to give Falmouth a 48-47 lead with 22 seconds to play.

Westbrook was in command early, jumping to a 7-0 lead and leading 13-7 at the end of the first. Cold shooting hurt Falmouth throughout the half and Westbrook showed balance with outside shooting (four 3-pointers, two by Fillmore), and the inside play of the 6-foot-7 Jany (15 points) and 6-4 Derek Breunig (12 rebounds), as well as the athletic play of Abwoch, to take a 24-22 lead at the half.

Coyne and Simonds combined for nine of the Yachtsmen’s 11 points in the third and Falmouth’s defense held Westbrook to seven points. The teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 31.


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