Perfect finish for Maine South at Maine West
Despite a barrage of hot second-half shooting, Maine West couldn't contend with the imposing front line of Maine South on Saturday in the final game of the touranment hosted by the Warriors.
Led by senior George Sargeant, who stands 6-feet-7 and weighs 220 pounds, Maine South defeated the Warriors 64-47 to take the tournament title with a perfect 4-0 record.
Sargeant scored 16 points and collected 6 rebounds, and the senior was ably assisted by frontcourt teammates Davis Neilands (6-4, 225, 10 points) and Brad Perry (6-7, 255, 5 points, 5 boards) in the win.
Despite losing the battle inside, West coach John Bongiorno said there was a different reason for the loss.
"Turnovers," said Bongiorno. "We had 21 last night (in a defeat at the hands of Chicago King), and it was the same thing tonight. You can't play defense on runouts.
"We're an inexperienced team who play into other team's strengths."
Sargeant got South off to a quick start with a 3-point play in the opening seconds of the first quarter, and he opened the second quarter the same way as the Hawks used a 12-0 run to take a 36-11 lead late in the first half.
The Warriors fought back behind three 3-pointers in the second quarter by senior guard Matt Acevedo to creep back within 38-20 at halftime.
"Acevedo is a great shooter," said Maine South coach Tony Lavorato Jr. "Maine West is young, but nobody gets their team ready to play harder than coach Bongiorno."
Acevedo hit three more 3s in the third quarter to lead a Warriors run, and when sophomore Randy Kent got an offensive rebound and a putback, the Warriors trailed only 50-36.
Then the Hawks went on an 8-0 run of their own, and West couldn't get any closer in the fourth quarter despite the efforts of freshman point guard Julian Dones, who had 5 3-pointers enroute to 17 points.
Acevedo led the Warriors with a team high 22 points, while junior Marian Johnson tallied 6 points, all in the first quarter.
"Turnovers were our downfall the whole tournament," said Bongiorno, as West went 1-3 in the invite.
"Still, we're a young team and we're still learning. I was happy with some of the things I saw today and I was glad we got a least one win in this tournament. You don't want to go 0-4 and have the guys get demoralized."
Senior guard Caleb deMarigny led the Hawks with 19 points.
"You just try to survive November," said Lavorato. "You're not the same team in November that you're going to be in March.
"What we want to do is get better, keep learning, and play a lot of individuals. If you get a few wins in the process, it's a plus."