AUGUSTA — From the opening tip to the final buzzer, the St. Dominic Academy boys basketball team’s physical prowess was on display in a rematch of last year’s Class D South final.
Strength, size, quickness and athleticism. The Saints used it all Saturday, dominating previously unbeaten Valley, 59-28, to win the first regional title in program history.
“It feels amazing; there’s no banner in our school, and we’re trying to put one up this year,” said St. Dom’s senior Taylor Varney. “They sent us home last year, so we had a lot of energy. We wanted to get back; we just wanted to lay it all out there on the court — give it our all — and we came out with a W.”
The win sends St. Dom’s to next Saturday’s Class D state championship game at Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. The Saints will take on Schenck (20-1), which defeated Katahdin, 47-28, on Saturday to win the North championship.
Jonathan Tangilamesu had 13 points and 12 rebounds for No. 2 St. Dom’s (20-1). John Brocke added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Varney had 12 points and seven rebounds.
Fisher Tewksbury scored 17 points for Valley.
St. Dom’s put top-seeded Valley (20-1) on notice early, forcing turnovers and muscling its way inside to establish an 8-0 lead. A Tewksbury 3-pointer provided the lone points of the first quarter for Valley, which trailed 12-3 heading into the second.
“We talked about how the first three or four minutes of the game would really decide how things went in terms of who was the more aggressive team and who could handle the nerves better,” said St. Dom’s coach Josh LaPrell. “I thought we did a great job of coming out ready to play and handling the moment.”
Valley stayed in contention entering the second half. The Cavaliers trailed 20-13 thanks to a six-point spurt from Tewksbury. Yet St. Dom’s would bury the Cavaliers with a 24-point third quarter, highlighted by eight points from Varney and six from Tangilamesu, turning this regional final rematch into a route.
On the floor and on the glass, St. Dom’s seemed to beat Valley to every ball. The size of the 6-foot-5 Brocke and the athleticism of the 6-3 Tangilamesu fueled a 44-23 rebounding edge for the Saints, whose active hands in the passing lanes also forced 19 Cavaliers turnovers.
“I think you hear, ‘Oh, they’re long, and they’re tall,’ but until you actually experience it, you have no way (idea) how long and how tall we are,” LaPrell said. “Taylor is our shortest starter, and he’s 6-1, and everyone else is super athletic and can guard 1-5. We can just do so much defensively.”
Although St. Dom’s returned the bulk of last year’s roster, the same could also be said for Valley, which brought back two 1,000-point scorers in Tewksbury and Harry Louis. That made a South final rematch between the two teams a strong possibility.
Unfortunately for Valley, this matchup went nothing like last year’s 45-36 victory over St. Dom’s. The Cavaliers shot just 12 of 45 from the field — including 2 of 19 from 3-point range — and simply had no answers for the Saints’ size and physicality.
“We knew, if we could get there, it would probably be against (St. Dom’s),” said Valley coach Mike Staples. “We knew rebounding was going to be an issue just because of their size and athleticism, and we talked about it, but we just didn’t get it done. We had a great season, but today, we got beat by a better team.”
Varney said St. Dom’s stressed throughout the week staying disciplined in the lane against Valley’s ball-fakes. They also emphasized the importance of contesting shots without fouling, something at which the Saints excelled as they limited the Cavaliers to six free throws.
The feeling of watching Valley celebrate their win last year, Varney added, was something St. Dom’s players talked about all season long. Now, the Saints have a chance to celebrate again next week with a win against Schenck.
“It’s a great feeling,” Varney said. “We’ve got a week to prepare and a week to give it our all on Saturday, and hopefully, we can come home with a Gold Ball.”>
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