PORTLAND – In an emotionally-charged game that saw huge turnout for both schools’ student sections, Deering took an early lead over Westbrook on Jan. 25 and never looked back. The Blazes (7-4) – be it as a result of crowd noise, Deering’s (8-4) flirtation with the full court press, or a stunning slam dunk by sophomore center Labson Abwoch – struggled with turnovers in the first, then watched almost helplessly as junior guard Jon Amabile struck twice beyond the arc, all while burning Westbrook for 14 points in the second.

Amabile finished with 22 overall, and even after his brilliant eight minutes were up, Westbrook never seemed to be able to get any closer than eight points throughout the second half. A half-court buzzer-beater by Rams junior guard Pat Green at the end of the third proved to be the dagger, and Deering played a slow, methodical, ball-control game in the fourth to run out the clock for the 52-44 victory.

“No, (we never really recovered from that),” said Westbrook Head Coach Mark Karter when asked about Amabile’s big show. “But I thought we competed to the end, and I am real proud of our kids. But we turned the ball over way too many times early, and we kind of gave them a lot of second opportunities, which you just can’t give to a good team.”

As has been Deering’s style for years, the Rams looked to get off to a quick start and use their speed and agility to pull away from the far more physical Blazes. They could hardly have asked for more from Abwoch, who put in two early from just under the basket, helping to lift Deering to a 5-2 advantage. The defining moment of the first, though, came at 5:26 remaining, when Amabile made a steal, drove down the court and dished to Abwoch, who finished with a monster dunk.

“It’s very important for us to get off to a big start, and (Abwoch) is a six-foot-six-inch sophomore, and he is starting to come into his own,” said Deering Head Coach Dan LeGage. “I think that emotionally got us charged up, and got the crowd right into it, and then we were able to play well with the lead.”

Westbrook was able to cut that lead to one thanks to baskets by junior forward Nguot Nguot and senior forward Edwin Grant, but a steal followed by a 3-pointer by Deering’s Nick Dibiase in the closing seconds pushed things back out to 16-9 in the Rams’ favor by the buzzer.

“They were picked as a top three team in Western Maine,” Karter said. “So that’s a very talented team over there. But I thought our kids worked hard. We just have to work to cut down on our turnovers, and stop giving up those easy points.”

Things were by no means out of hand for Westbrook, but they were about to be. Deering’s Jamie Ross opened the second by going one-for-two from the line after getting fouled while shooting near the baseline, and then Amabile got red hot, striking first from beyond the arc at 7:15, and then just inside it under a minute later to make it 22-12. Later, Amabile was fouled on another 3-point attempt and hit all three shots, hit a putback at 4:50, and swished a second 3-pointer at 4:02, which raised the lead to 30-16.

“He’s an excellent shooter, and I think we kind of lost touch of where he was a couple of times, especially in the first half,” Karter said. “I thought we did a little bit of a better job in the second half, but he’s an excellent player, so you have to account for him.”

To their credit, the Blazes fought back. Senior center Trevor Bates, who had a team-high 14 points, answered Amabile’s last 3 with a layup, and seconds later Westbrook was able to capitalize on a Deering turnover when Nguot drove to the hoop.

But the gap remained wide, and although Westbrook had cut it to 33-24 at the half, there was an increasingly powerful feeling in the gymnasium that the Blazes weren’t coming back. Every little surge by Westbrook was answered in kind, and the Blue Blazes’ once-rowdy student section had long since gone quiet prior to halftime.

It was 43-33 in Deering’s favor when, in the final seconds of the third, Green made a steal at the sideline just in front of the scorekeeper’s table, gathered himself, and hit a fade-away 3 as the buzzer sounded. The Deering stands erupted, while the dejected Blazes solemnly bobbed their heads and accepted that things weren’t going to swing their way. Deering closed out the final period by grinding out long, toilsome possessions and denying Westbrook any shot at a comeback.

“(Green’s basket) was huge,” LeGage said. “He has matured a lot. He didn’t even play last year – he say out with a torn ACL. So this is essentially his first varsity season for us. So I have seen him grow up over the course of the year.”

Deering senior guard Jackson Frey (right) appears powerless to stop Westbrook senior center and team captain Trevor Bates (left) as the latter bumps his way towards the hoop Tuesday night.
Staff photo by Emory Rounds

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