CAPE ELIZABETH — For the Yarmouth boys’ basketball team, it was all about how the Clippers finished Friday night in their 56-46 road win over Cape Elizabeth.

After scoring just four points in the opening quarter, the Clippers climbed back to take the lead in the third quarter and eventually pulled away in the final quarter.

Leading the charge, especially down the stretch, were captains Alek Medenica and Nolan Hagerty. The duo combined for 16 points in the fourth quarter. Medenica, a 6-foot-7 senior, finished with 20 points, while Hagerty, a 6-6 junior, added 12 points.

“We were a little bit displeased with the first two and a half quarters of what they were giving us,” Yarmouth Coach Adam Smith said of his players. “Uncharacteristically, they were forced by Cape into some turnovers and poor shots. They settled down and really showed some discipline in the fourth quarter, and started to take what they wanted to do instead of what they were given.”

Medenica and Hagerty were shut out in the first quarter as the Capers (10-4), ranked third in Class A South, took an 11-4 lead. But Medenica came to life with nine points in the second quarter, and Yarmouth (12-2), the top-ranked team in Class B South, cut its deficit to 23-21.

“We were taking a lot of quick shots,” said Smith. “We had some early opportunities at the rim and missed, and it seemed like everyone was just getting a little more tense as the first quarter went on. Nothing was falling, and then we started forcing up shots.

“I just wanted us to take a little more time on the offensive end, get some more touches on the block and work in and out offensively. I told them someone would knock one down and we’d just start playing.”

Hagerty scored five points in the third quarter as the Clippers grabbed their first lead of the night. Yarmouth held a 35-33 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

“It was just intensity,” Medenica said of Yarmouth’s comeback. “We realized that we weren’t really there with intensity and were just turning the ball over a lot. We needed to stay focused and just play our game. We definitely didn’t do that in the first half. In the second half, we were able to settle in and close out the game.”

Early on, senior guard Igor Nikolic did his part to keep the Clippers close before their two big men were able to take over. Nikolic scored eight of his 15 points before halftime.

On the other side, Quinn Hewitt paced the Capers at both ends – leading the offense and guarding either Hegarty or Medenica. Hewitt finished with 18 points.

“Hewitt had to play against those big bodies – and that’s every trip up and down the floor,” said Smith. “That’s got to wear out a high school body, but he’s very well-conditioned and strong, and he made it really tough on us.”

Marshall Peterson and Andrew Hartell each added 10 points for Cape Elizabeth.

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