PORTLAND — After scoring 47 points in the first half, top-ranked Greely ran off the Portland Expo court to its downstairs locker room. Minutes later the Rangers were back on the court, well ahead of the allotted 10 minutes.
There wasn’t much Coach Ken Marks had to correct at halftime.
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Greely scored 28 points in the first quarter and cruised to a 78-56 victory against eighth-seeded Gray-New Gloucester in the last Western Class B boys’ quarterfinal of a busy Saturday at the Expo.
Sam Johnston, Greely’s 6-foot-4 point guard, scored 20 points in the first half and finished with 31.
The Rangers (17-2) will play fourth-seeded Yarmouth (15-4) in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
Gray-New Gloucester (11-9) went into the game encouraged by a strong prelim win against Maranacook. And though Greely beat the Patriots by 49 points in their last meeting, the first game at Gray was close.
But “We played really well in the first half,” said Marks. “We came out with a lot of intensity and set the tone. (Johnston) has a knack for playing well in big games. It was good to get this thing under our belts. It’s not always easy being the No. 1 seed in the quarterfinals.”
The Rangers didn’t show any effects from a nine-day layoff, which included a scrimmage Tuesday against South Portland.
“We did really well,” said Johnston.
If the semifinal against Yarmouth is anything like the last meeting, it will be special.
“It was one of the best games played at our gym in a while,” said Marks. “Unfortunately we came out on the short end.”
Johnson hit two early 3-pointers and the Rangers never trailed. Leading 9-8, Greely outscored the Patriots 19-4 to end the first quarter.
The Rangers controlled the boards with 6-foot-6 Tanner Storey and 6-5 freshman Michael McDevitt. That keyed a fast break that led to easy baskets.
“We wanted to come out strong and get a lead,” said Johnston. “My teammates got me the ball in good positions.”
The Rangers have had ball handling problems, but not this time.
“Coach emphasized taking care of the basketball,” said Johnston. “We’ve come a long way improving it.”
Adam Jensen led the Patriots with 20 points. Ryan Cavallaro added 12.
“If Greely plays like that, no one is going to beat them,” said Gray-New Gloucester Coach Tony DiBiase. “They have size inside and a 6-foot-4 point guard.
“I thought we were competitive in the second half and we didn’t quit.”
Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at:
tchard@pressherald.com
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