NORTH BERWICK — When it comes to early season high school basketball games, especially ones pitting two senior-led teams expected to be near the top of the Heal point standings, it’s possible for both clubs to leave the gym feeling good.
Such was the case Tuesday night after a Class A boys’ basketball game between Falmouth and Noble.
The host Knights, regional finalists a year ago, won 54-52 when their ace senior guard, Jamier Rose, made a driving layup with 4.2 seconds left. Noble is now 2-0, with wins against two perennial southern Maine powers after opening the season with a 67-59 victory at Class AA South Portland on Friday.
“We’ve been mentally tough. We’ve closed games well,” said Noble Coach John Morgan. “That’s a good sign to learn.”
It was Noble’s 11th consecutive home win, after going 10-0 last season. The Knights were 16-5 overall last year and advanced past the regional quarterfinals for the first time since 1985. The rise from doormat to knocking on championship doors parallels the arrival of Rose and Bryce Guitard (10 points vs. Falmouth).
Rose, a quick and strong 5-foot-11 All-State guard who excels at finding his teammates for good looks, finished with 24 points – eight in the fourth quarter after struggling with his own shot early in the game.
“The mental tough part is something we’ve struggled with in the past,” Rose said. “Tonight, we showed that we’ve really grown over the years and that when things get rough, as a group we come together, and we can turn it around.”
For Falmouth, losing its season opener stung a bit – you could see it on the face of team-high scorer Billy Birks and several others – but it was hardly demoralizing. Certainly not like last season’s upset loss to Westbrook in a regional quarterfinal, when Falmouth was the No. 2 seed.
“It’s on to the next. We fought hard. We played great. A team full of seniors who have been together our whole lives, so we’re moving on to the next game,” Birks said.
The Navigators held up well against the ball-hawking of Noble guards Rose, Guitard, Chase Dodier and Brady Tucci. They held leads after the first and third quarters, the latter built when standout Falmouth senior Davis Mann (10 points) spent a good bit of time on the bench because of foul trouble.
“More positive than negative. We come down here, play an away game against probably the best team in your division with the home crowd. Home court, they say is worth 10 points,” said Falmouth Coach David Halligan, who for at least a few more days is stuck on 598 career wins, third most all-time in Maine high school history.
One telling sequence showed both the explosive offensive ability of Mann, a 6-2 guard, and Noble’s team maturity.
With the game tied 48-48 after Guitard had stolen an inbounds pass following a Falmouth timeout and made a layup, Mann muscled to the basket for a go-ahead bucket. On the next possession, he cut back-door, took a high-post feed and threw down a forceful two-handed dunk. An impressive play for sure.
A momentum turn? Nope. Seconds later, Noble’s 6-foot-5 big man off the bench, Mark Lapointe (seven points), was behind Falmouth’s defense making a layup at the other end, courtesy of Rose’s full-court pass.
“We should have been sprinting back on defense. Instead we were celebrating. But that’s what you learn by playing,” Halligan said.
Noble and Falmouth share another trait besides being senior dominated, guard-led programs with title aspirations. They also know that games in December are learning opportunities.
“All of the mistakes we made can be easy fixes,” Mann said.
And they will meet again in Falmouth on Jan. 11.
“Falmouth’s a great measuring stick,” Morgan said.
A third meeting in the playoffs in late February at the Portland Expo? Maybe in the regional final? Well, that’s a long way away, with many more opportunities to learn and improve before then.
“Last year, we proved we could beat a lot of people and make it to the regional championship, but now we’ve got to prove that we can win it,” Rose said. “Last year, we did a lot just to get to the regional. Now we have to work harder than we did last year.”
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