ROCKLAND, Maine — The defending Class B state champion Camden Hills of Rockport boys basketball team brought plenty of height to its matchup with Midcoast rival Rockland on Friday night.
And when the Windjammers decided to use that height near the basket in the second half, it became business as usual as coach Jeff Hart’s club surged to a 64-43 victory.
The win was the 27th straight overall for Camden Hills, 5-0 this season despite featuring a different look from last year’s unbeaten club.
“We’re starting to find ourselves,” said Windjammers’ coach Jeff Hart. “People forget we’ve got just one starter back, so it’s been an adjustment, but the kids have worked really hard and I’ve been really happy with the progress they’ve made.”
That one returning starter, 6-foot-6 junior center Tyler McFarland, proved to be the difference in this contest, finishing with 20 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.
“Tyler asserted himself down low,” said Rockland coach Matt Breen. “We had our hands full keeping him out of there, and that was the difference.”
McFarland, a Bangor Daily News All-Maine choice as a sophomore, managed just four points during the first half while spending much of his time on the perimeter.
But the Windjammers came out of the halftime break determined to work the ball inside, and McFarland was the chief beneficiary as he either drove to the basket with authority or worked his way to the free throw line, where he was 10 of 11 over the final two quarters and made his last nine shots in a row.
As a team, Camden Hills made 27 of 39 free throws for the game, 19 of 24 after a first half in which it held just a 23-19 edge.
“With this team we have four kids 6-4 or over, and we understand that our strength is going to be getting the ball inside because our height and athleticism is superior to most of our opponents,” said McFarland.
“I came in and talked to coach Hart at halftime, and he said I needed to dominate the paint in the second half. That’s what the team needed from me tonight.”
Cameron Gartley added 10 points for the Windjammers, while Keegan Pieri contributed nine points and six rebounds.
Rockland got a strong game from senior guard Chris Nolan, who had 20 points and five assists, while senior forward Dylan Meklin had 12 points, but the 3-2 Tigers had difficulty sustaining consistent offense.
“Defensively we always work on getting good ball pressure and having great rotations off the ball, trying to keep your defender between your feet and then denying passing lanes,” said McFarland. “We don’t pick any individuals out on the other team, we just play Camden ball.”
Rockland did score eight unanswered points, four each by Nolan and Meklin, to take a 13-5 lead late in the first quarter, but gradually Camden Hills’ defense came to the forefront.
The Windjammers forced five Rockland turnovers in the second quarter, and took their first lead since 2-0 at 19-18 thanks to back-to-back 3-pointers by Will Vlautin and Casey Scott late in the second quarter.
Sophomore Aiden Hadley scored off an assist by Nolan to give Rockland its last lead, 30-29 with 2:07 left in the third quarter.
After Nick White made a layup and Pieri converted a backcourt steal into a layup to restore Camden Hills to a 33-30 lead, McFarland took control of the game.
First he scored on a tip-in, then he stole the ball and drove the distance for a three-point play that gave the Windjammers a 38-32 lead at the end of the third quarter.
McFarland went on to score 14 of his team’s next 19 points as Camden Hills stretched its lead to double digits, and the Windjammers preserved that advantage by making 17 of 21 free throws in the final quarter.
“They got the ball inside, and Tyler’s tough down there,” said Breen. “They ended up living at the line and shot their free throws well, and we didn’t execute some of our sets down the stretch and we got a little fatigued. They’re a little deeper than we are right now.”
