FALMOUTH — Center Jack Simonds and sophomore point guard Colin Coyne combined to score 50 points to lead streaking Falmouth to a 69-62 victory against Cape Elizabeth in a Western Maine Conference boys’ basketball game Tuesday night.
It was the 10th consecutive win for the Yachtsmen, who avenged a 50-45 loss Jan. 3 to the Capers.
“At one time we were 4-3 during the season, and we were making all kinds of mistakes and missing shots,” Falmouth Coach Dave Halligan said. “The kids have continued to work and get better every day, and this is the product of their hard work.”
Simonds, a 6-foot-6 senior who will attend Bowdoin College next fall, scored a game-high 27 points and pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds. Coyne, who shot 0 of 10 the last time his team played Cape, followed with 23 points.
Eddie Galvin scored 17 points to lead the Capers (13-3). Justin Guerrette followed with 16 points. Jack O’Rourke added 11.
Coyne sank his first four 3-point shots to help send the Yachtsmen (14-3) into an early 22-8 lead.
“I got hot quick,” he said. “I made my first four 3s and got in a little bit of a rhythm, and I kept finding my shot.”
More than likely the victory nailed down a first-round bye in the Western Class A tournament for Falmouth, which should go into the regional as the third seed behind Portland and South Portland.
“This is our last game that’s worth a lot of (Heal) points, so it was big for us to win this,” Coyne said. “If we lost, we probably wouldn’t get a bye.”
Cape opened the second quarter with a 17-2 run to move into a 25-25 tie with 2:50 left in the first half.
“(Falmouth) wasn’t happy when they were out to our place and we got them early,” Cape Elizabeth Coach Jim Ray said. “We knew they were going to be ready to go, and they got off to a great start and I have to give my kids credit for hanging tough.”
The Yachtsmen finished the second quarter with a 7-1 run, hitting all five of their free throws in the final two minutes, to take a 32-26 lead at the break.
“We don’t give up,” Coyne said. “That’s the thing about our team. We stay composed and that makes us special.”
The Capers closed within three points four times in the second half but could get no closer.
After missing the first 14 games of the season because of a broken foot, Thomas Coyne, Colin’s older brother, played in his third game for the Yachtsmen.
With 2:20 left in the first half, he stole the ball and completed a three-point play to send Falmouth into a 28-25 lead. He also made two 3-pointers in the second half to blunt Cape Elizabeth rallies.
“We’ve gained a lot of experience over the course of the year, and having Thomas (Coyne) back is a big plus for us,” Halligan said. “We’re playing pretty well going toward the tournament.”
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