PORTLAND — Amy Vachon stood near center court, her McAuley High players jumping and screaming with their student fans, and said, “That’s what a Western Maine final should be.”
And she was right.
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Second-ranked McAuley, the preseason state champion favorite in many eyes, rallied in overtime to beat top-ranked Deering 41-40 Monday night in an epic Western Class A championship game at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
The Lions (19-2) got a spectacular game from junior center Alexa Coulombe, who scored 17 points and blocked seven shots, and a gritty effort from just about everyone else. Precocious freshman guard Allie Clement added 12 points, hitting two crucial 3-pointers in the second half.
“Honestly, that game is a blur to me,” said Vachon. “We’ve talked a lot this year about finding a way to win, some how, some way, finding a way. And we did tonight. I don’t know how, but they did.”
McAuley will play the winner of tonight’s Eastern Class A title game — either Messalonskee or Hampden Academy — in the state final at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center.
Deering, losing in the regional final for the second consecutive season after winning back-to-back state championships, finished 19-2.
“It stings,” said Deering Coach Mike Murphy. “But this team exceeded all expectations. We played hard every night.”
The Rams had their chances. They led 28-26 entering the fourth quarter after a Kayla Burchill 3-pointer with 15 seconds remaining in the third. Then they led 34-30 with 4:21 left in regulation after Burchill hit two foul shots.
But Clement hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one, and Coulombe followed with four consecutive points to give McAuley a 37-34 lead with 1:48 left. Burchill (20 points) put in an offensive rebound and, after a couple McAuley misses at the foul line, Deering called a timeout with 11.8 seconds remaining and the ball at midcourt.
As the play broke down, Burchill got the ball at the top of the key, fumbled it, then dribbled into the middle, where she was fouled with .5 seconds left.
“I won’t say what I was thinking,” said McAuley’s Rebecca Knight, who scored 10 points and guarded Burchill. “I was hoping we’d get a second chance.”
Burchill, an 85-percent free-throw shooter, hit the first shot, then Vachon called timeout. Burchill’s second shot was too strong, and the game went to overtime tied at 37.
Deering took a 39-37 lead when Chelsea Saucier stole the ball and fed Burchill for a layup. After a miss, the Lions got the ball back on a turnover. Then Coulombe cut down the right lane, took a pass from Clement and, as she was knocked down, threw the ball up.
“I was waiting for it to go in,” said Coulombe. “I do that in practice every day.”
It did. And then she hit the foul shot with 1:11 remaining for a 40-39 lead. Knight was fouled with 25.3 seconds left and hit 1 of 2 free throws, making it 41-39. Down came the Rams, and once again Burchill drove the middle and was fouled, this time with nine seconds left.
Again she hit the first shot, and again Vachon called a timeout. Again Burchill’s second attempt was long, and the ball came off the back rim. Deering’s Ella Ramonas got the rebound but couldn’t do anything with it, and McAuley dribbled off the remaining seconds.
“We’re all human,” said Murphy, who said he would rather have no one other than Burchill at the line. “That’s what I told her. She’s going to think about it a million times. But that’s life.”
Vachon, who took no credit for icing Burchill, said, “Kayla is a fabulous player and I hope people don’t remember her for that. She’s going to go on and have a great career at Vermont.”
Burchill carried a young Deering team this far. And the Rams lost to a very talented club.
“And we had tons of heart,” said Knight. “We just worked so hard.”
McAuley’s largest lead was five, 11-6 in the first quarter. Deering’s largest lead was four, once in the first quarter and again in the fourth.
“We could play them for another two hours and it would still be even, a one-point game,” said Murphy. “There is not one thing I can say that I wish I had done this, or wish I had done that. The kids did everything they had to do.”
Coulombe was awarded the Edward “Red” McMann Award as the tournament’s outstanding player/sportsperson. And while she said it was a nice honor, she has another goal in mind.
“We have one more game to play,” she said. “One more game to look forward to.”
Staff Writer Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at:
mlowe@pressherald.com
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