ELLSWORTH, Maine — The Calais boys basketball team was in dire need of an energy boost as the seconds wound down in Monday night’s interclass battle of contenders with Ellsworth at Katsiaficas Gymnasium.
The Blue Devils already had seen their 11-point fourth-quarter lead vanish, and only when Tyler Niles hit a jumper with 41 seconds left did they regain a scant one-point lead.
Enter Zac Lola, a freshman perhaps not experienced enough to feel any pressure. The 5-foot-8-inch reserve guard dove toward the sideline to retrieve a missed free throw with 16 seconds remaining, helping Calais hold on for a 54-52 victory.
“We made a few big plays at the end,” said first-year Calais head coach Chris Woodside. “Zac dove for a big rebound, and that’s what he brings to us every game, those energy plays that make all the difference.”
Senior guard Kyle Johnson capitalized on Lola’s diving rebound in front of the Calais bench and the extra possession it gave the Blue Devils by making the second of two free throws with 14.7 seconds left for a two-point lead, then Ellsworth was unable to get a clean look at the basket on their final possession.
“[Lola’s] really tough. He gets right in there with anybody,” said Johnson.
The win was the second pointworthy victory in four nights for 11-2 Calais, as the Blue Devils have surged to the top of the Eastern Maine Class C standings by avenging their only losses with a 72-41 trouncing of defending state champion Houlton last Friday night before a nail-biting win over Ellsworth that offset a 78-71 overtime loss to the Eagles on Dec. 22.
“We talked a lot about having an opportunity at redemption, if you will, and against Houlton we only had a week between the games so we were able to get right back at them,” said Woodside. “With this one the first game was earlier in the season, and we thought we had opportunities in that game but made some mental mistakes down the stretch that cost us so the kids really wanted this one, not any more than they did but we got a few extra breaks.”
Niles, a versatile 6-foot-3-inch senior forward, overcame second-half foul trouble to pace Calais with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Johnson contributed 10 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals.
Class B Ellsworth (7-4) got 13 points from Nick Bagley and 10 points and seven rebounds from Bruce St. Peter.
A smooth-flowing first half during which the teams combined for just eight fouls and eight turnovers concluded with Calais holding a 30-25 lead, thanks in large part to 12 points and five rebounds from Niles.
But a foul-filled second half slowed the tempo, though Ellsworth twice drew within two points before Johnson was able to pass his way through the Eagles’ defensive pressure for four assists in the final two minutes of the third quarter to help Calais regain command at 46-38.
St. Peter in particular didn’t let having four fouls affect his game during the final period.
After Calais extended its lead to 50-39 on two Niles free throws and a runner from the lane by Johnson with 6:45 remaining, the 6-4 junior forward scored six points and grabbed four rebounds as Ellsworth scored 11 unanswered points to forge a 50-50 tie on a drive by Bagley with 2:27 to play.
“They just started picking up their game and we were rushing everything,” said Niles.
Johnson briefly gave Calais back the lead with a steal and a free throw, but a St. Peter layup gave Ellsworth a 52-51 edge with 1:08 left, the Eagles’ first advantage since midway through the second quarter.
Ellsworth didn’t score again.
“We just stuck together with the defense.” said Johnson. “That’s what we take pride in, our defense, and it ended up coming down to be a defensive game.”
