YORK — Unbeaten York High had a hard time shaking Greely in a Class A South boys’ basketball game Tuesday.
Even after 6-foot-5 junior Brady Cummins threw down his third dunk of the third quarter – a right-handed tomahawk off a baseline drive – Greely seemed to just shrug it off. Down by 11 points? No biggie for the three-time defending state champs. Nick Butler’s fifth and sixth 3-pointers quickly trimmed York’s lead right back to a manageable five.
But what has defined York’s unbeaten season to this point is its relentlessness and the diversity of its attack. Senior backup guard Tommy Coughlin answered with his own 3-pointer and senior captain Will MacDonald scored three quick baskets, the last set up by his own steal. That pushed the lead back to 14 at the end of three quarters and York was never threatened again, winning, 62-46.
“It was definitely a big test going into playoffs, giving us the confidence that we need,” Cummins said. “This whole regular season has just been like practice for us. We’ve been focused on playoffs.”
York (17-0) had already cinched the top seed in the upcoming regional playoff and can complete its unbeaten regular season Wednesday at home against Gray-New Gloucester. It was York’s 16th win by at least 12 points, the lone exception a 68-63 win at Falmouth.
“We never talked about going undefeated,” said York Coach Paul Marquis. “The goals we had were goals like defending in the full court, defending in the half court, trying to limit our turnovers. We figured if we took care of those mini goals the bigger results would follow. It’s fun being 17-0 and everybody’s undefeated once the tournament starts.”
MacDonald led all scorers with 19 points. Cummins finished with 13, eight in the third quarter. Coughlin and Jonathan Donovan each had eight with Riley Linn scoring his seven points in the second quarter when York built a brief seven-point lead.
Greely (13-4) is likely to stay in the No. 4/5 area, meaning that a rematch with York in the regional semifinal is very possible.
“If we see them again in a couple of weeks, I think we’ll be a little smarter and know a couple of things we can adjust,” said Greely Coach Travis Seaver.
Down 31-27 at the half, Greely came out quick and snatched a 33-31 lead on two Butler 3-pointers, both set up on passes from Logan Bagshaw, the Rangers’ leading scorer all season. York used a lot of half-court traps to double team Bagshaw beyond the 3-point line, forcing him to either make a quick pass or shoot a contested shot. Bagshaw finished with 13 points and uncharacteristically did not make a 3-point basket.
Butler finished with a team-high 18 points for Greely.
“Gosh, Greely’s a great team and they’re going to be certainly someone that causes some trouble in the tournament,” Marquis said. “But whoever it is, whether it’s Greely or someone else, we just want to keep playing well and get ready for that next run.”
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