PORTLAND – Second-ranked Bonny Eagle raced to a 17-point halftime lead and stayed comfortably in front the rest of the way Saturday night to beat seventh-seeded Westbrook 48-33 in a Western Class A boys’ basketball quarterfinal at the Portland Expo.

The tournament now shifts to the Cumberland County Civic Center.

The Scots (16-3) will play sixth-seeded Deering (11-8) at 6 p.m. Wednesday in one semifinal. Cheverus (19-0) and Portland (12-7) will play in the other at 7:30.

Steve Simonds led Bonny Eagle with 14 points and hit a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to make it 28-11. The Scots closed the first half with a 9-0 spurt.

Freshman point guard Dustin Cole controlled the game’s flow and hit two big 3-pointers.

Coach Phil Bourassa put Simonds, who had three fouls, back into the game with 28 seconds left in the half to shoot the 3. Simonds’ accuracy from long range — he had three from beyond the arc — was worth the gamble.

But to Bourassa and Simonds, it wasn’t a gamble.”

“If one of my best shooters is available, it’s a no-brainer,” said Bourassa. “It’s not that big a risk that he’ll get a foul because the play is designed for him to just shoot the 3.”

“It’s not a threat to get a foul,” said Simonds. “I’m just going to shoot the 3.”

Bourassa liked his team’s first half but not the second.

“We didn’t play a very good second half, which was a little frustrating. But a win is a win,” he said.

The Blazes hit the first two baskets of the second half, which brought a timeout from Bonny Eagle.

Simonds hit a 3-pointer when the game resumed.

Westbrook (12-7) cut Bonny Eagle’s lead to 11 points after three quarters and got within 10 early in the fourth. But a 3-pointer by Cole, followed by a breakaway layup by Levi Meggison boosted the lead to 15.

“The first half did us in,” said Westbrook Coach Mark Karter. “We played better in the second half. It’s too bad the season had to end like this because the kids had a great year, going 12-6 in the regular season.”

The Blazes couldn’t get many shots to drop. They only made two 3-pointers, although Bonny Eagle’s perimeter defense also didn’t allow them many opportunities to shoot the 3.

“We’ve struggled on offense all season,” said Karter.

The Scots shut down center Trevor Bates inside and Sean Murphy outside. Westbrook’s best offense was supplied by Zach Gardiner, who went hard to the basket to score 11 points.

“I thought we did a good job on defense, other than the fouls,” said Bourassa. “Murphy is a great shooter and Bates is strong inside.”

Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at:

tchard@pressherald.com

 

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