HAMPDEN, Maine — Hampden Academy junior Robert Martin spent much of Tuesday’s inaugural Eastern Maine unified basketball final battling Oceanside center Eddie Davis for position in the lane.
It was by no means an easy battle, particularly given Davis’ size, strength and soft shooting touch.
But when Martin noticed that Davis had fallen along the baseline late in the contest, rather than join his teammates on the fast break headed in the other direction, he waited, offered a helping hand to his opponent and together they rejoined the action.
It was merely Martin’s view of the bigger picture in the middle of the big game.
“He’s a buddy of mine, I met him at a tournament in Lewiston,” said Martin. “He’s my friend.”
That this was a competitive event with the chance to win a state championship at stake frequently gave way to similar moments of sportsmanship.
But there was no denying the pride the Hampden players felt when their student fan section in the stands — including members of the Broncos’ recently crowned Class A state championship boys varsity squad — broke out in the school song just after they finished their 44-36 victory over the Mariners from Rockland-Thomaston.
“I never thought it would happen, but I’m happy it did,” said Martin. “I thought it would be really hard, and it was hard. It took a lot of hard work but we got here, and I figured if we got this far we might as well keep trying our hardest and keep going.”
Coach Andrea Lee’s club improved its record to 6-1 and will face Lisbon for the state crown at 6 p.m. Thursday at Lewiston High School. Lisbon (8-3) edged previously undefeated Brunswick 34-32 in the Western Maine final.
“To bring home another gold ball and to do it this with this team would be amazing,” said Hampden senior forward Will Huston. “I wouldn’t want to be part of a different team.”
Oceanside concluded its season with a 5-3 record.
“I’ve coached a lot of teams and a lot of seasons, and this by far has been the most rewarding experience,” said Mariners’ coach Joanna Hall. “It’s been a learning experience for my team, definitely, in identifying that we all have areas of strength, and then to find that within each other and within our friends.”
Unified basketball teams athletes with developmental disabilities with nonvarsity partners without developmental disabilities. At least three athletes must be on the court at all times, and the partners may score no more than 25 percent of their team’s points.
Its introduction in 17 Maine high schools this winter stemmed from a partnership among the Maine Principals Association, Special Olympics of Maine and Project Unify, a branch of Special Olympics dedicated to increasing athletic and leadership opportunities for students with and without intellectual disabilities.
“What I really enjoy is not only the interaction between the students on their own team, but also the interaction with students on the other team,” said MPA executive director Dick Durost, who attended the Eastern Maine final. “It’s all so positive, it’s all so supportive. There’s that willingness out there for the kids to be putting each other in a position where they can be successful.
“We talk about cooperative learning in the classroom. This is better than any cooperative learning piece I’ve ever seen anywhere.”
Hampden scored the game’s first six points, four by freshman Ted Harris, and never trailed.
The Broncos’ lead was 25-16 at intermission as freshman Isaiah Palmer drove through the Oceanside defense for 15 first-half points, including a three-point play.
Davis twice brought Oceanside back, first within 25-20 with 2½ minutes left in the third quarter and later scoring six unanswered points to rally the Mariners within 32-26 early in the final period.
But Hampden’s Kenneth Brewer-Frazee converted a baseline drive and Harris — who earlier hit the game’s lone 3-pointer — made two layups to extend the Broncos’ advantage back to 38-26 with less than four minutes to play.
Palmer paced Hampden with 21 points while Harris added 15, Brewer-Frazee scored four points and Alex Ross and Noah Parker scored two points each.
Davis scored a game-high 26 points for Oceanside. Ryan Allender added six points and Jacob Morris and Tyler Ward scored two points apiece.
“I had fun this year.” Davis said. “It was a great experience to be part of the team, it was the first time we did this and we made the Eastern Maine final. We didn’t win, but we had a great game, and that’s what matters to me.”
