FALMOUTH — Will MacDonald admitted it. He and his York High teammates had something to prove to host Falmouth in Tuesday’s Class A South showdown.
“The last two years they’ve knocked us out of the tournament,” MacDonald said. “Every time we get in the gym, we’re talking about it. It’s never left our mind and we have a chip on our shoulder every time we come on the floor against Falmouth.”
Now it’s going to be up to Falmouth to prove it can stop MacDonald and York.
The Wildcats improved to 8-0 with a 68-63 win as MacDonald, a 6-foot-4 senior forward with perimeter skills, scored 30 of his 36 points in the first half, making 12 of 13 shots, including all five of his 3-pointers.
“I was feeling it. Shots were falling and my teammates knew the shots were falling so they got me the ball in the right places,” MacDonald said.
When Falmouth’s top player Michael Simonds (with frequent help) slowed MacDonald in the second half, York countered. Senior guards Riley Linn (13 points) and Jonathan Donovan combined for 11 points in the fourth quarter, each driving down the middle of the lane for two key hoops.
“Those kids can really play and it’s good to have them on the floor when they’re doubling me and guarding Brady (Cummins) tight,” MacDonald said. “We have other options we can go to get other buckets.”
York opened the season with statement wins at three-time defending state champion Greely and against Kennebunk. MacDonald (21 points per game) and Cummins (21.4 ppg), a 6-5 junior guard in his third varsity season, are a potent one-two punch.
“They’re probably the yardstick everybody is being measured by now and they’re legit,” said Falmouth Coach David Halligan. “Their seniors came up huge. They’re a tough matchup because they’re very athletic.”
But Falmouth could look to last year’s regional semifinal win, when it beat York 48-37 and held Cummins and MacDonald in check.
Further, Falmouth (6-3) entered Tuesday’s game red-hot. After losing its first two games (to Kennebunk and Greely), Falmouth had won six straight by an average of 37.5 points.
Both teams excelled offensively in the first half. Simonds (18 points), Brady Coyne (15 points) and Emmett Hamilton (all 10 of his points) were all shooting well. But when Falmouth made a run, MacDonald answered, either by driving past Falmouth’s bigs or shooting from deep with the space Falmouth’s defenders had to concede.
“White-hot. Unconscious? I mean he was in the moment,” York Coach Paul Marquis said of MacDonald.
In the third quarter, it was Cummins with consecutive hoops after Falmouth had cut the lead to one, 47-46. Nicco Pitre sparked a six-point run for Falmouth early in the fourth quarter to again cut the lead to one, at 55-54. Then Donovan came through with consecutive baskets as Falmouth spread the defense to focus on York’s top threats.
“Those two big layups I just felt great because they hyped our team up,” Donovan said. “We have multiple guys who can go for double figures and tonight Will took over for us. But we can come at them in all different ways, all different angles.”
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