PORTLAND – Cape Elizabeth Head Coach James Ray was smiling on Saturday. His hair was a disheveled tangle from having run a hand through it nervously for two hours, his suit wrinkled from repeatedly leaping to his feet, but his eyes were alight, and there was a wolfish grin on his face.

What else could he do but smile and try to move on? The lamb had nearly jumped up and bitten the predator. A game that seventh-seeded Wells – down their best player after senior forward Alex Furness was removed from the team earlier this month – had no business being in had come down to the wire, and the No. 2 Capers (15-4) had only just survived, winning 49-45 in overtime in a Class B quarterfinal game at the Portland Expo.

All afternoon Cape had struggled against a determined Wells defense that looked to accomplish a single task: double team and box out Cape senior Theo Bowe. And for three periods – aside from a lone and distinct letdown – the Warriors (11-8) had largely succeeded, and Cape headed into the fourth quarter down 36-29. Something had to give, and that something was the Warriors’ offense, which got into difficulty in the transition at center court and turned the ball over a number of times. The Capers capitalized on every mistake, and took a 41-38 lead with 30 seconds left when senior guard Joe Doane forced a steal, and hit a layup on the breakaway. But in the final seconds, Wells junior guard Paul McDonough worked down the right sideline, glanced at the clock, and threw up an ugly, off-balance shot that nonetheless swished cleanly through the net for the tie.

It was a miracle, but it was the last for the Warriors. In overtime, Cape finally applied the boot firmly to the Wells’ collective necks, and outscored the Warriors 8-4 to escape with the win.

“I had spoken to a couple of people leading up to this game, saying that we have been that underdog before, and that (when you’re in that position) you go in with the attitude, not showing up just for fun, but showing up to play and to win,” Ray said. “Otherwise, why bother? They had nothing to lose. With the loss of Furness, those kids are going to be better prepared to step up to play a larger role; without having to look to Alex Furness to save the day.”

The Capers enjoyed more success against the Warriors in the first eight minutes than they would see again until the fourth. Cape opened up a slow, back-and-fourth game midway through the first when Bowe hit a long two, then made a steal and a layup to give his team an 8-4 advantage. The Capers led 12-9 when senior guard Cameron Brown hit a jumper with five seconds left, but things were about to turn against Cape Elizabeth in a big way.

In fact, Cape didn’t score again for nearly five minutes, while Wells hit eight unanswered points and built a sizeable lead. By the time sophomore guard Henry Babock went two-for-two from the line to end the scoring drought, Cape trailed 17-14; a Wells lead that grew as wide as eight as the period wound down. The only saving grace was a long 3 by Brown with 50 seconds left that cut it to 22-17. Otherwise, Cape looked confused and perhaps even a little winded entering the half.

“Our defense was outstanding today,” said Wells Head Coach Troy Brown. “That was a team effort that came from all 12 guys working their tails off this week with one goal: to shut down 33 (Bowe), because he is one heck of a basketball player — there is no getting around it. I thought we did a pretty good job of that. He got away from us a little at the end, but for the most part we took him out of their plans.”

In fact, the Warriors suffered only one major letdown against Bowe before the fourth, and it came early in the third period. With Wells leading 26-21, Bowe took a pass in the right corner, lined up and drained a 3. The Capers intercepted the ball almost immediately, and there was Bowe again, draining a second from beyond the arc to give Cape a 27-26 lead.

That advantage was fleeting, however, as the Warriors closed out the period by outscoring Cape 10-2, and entered the fourth looking to complete the upset.

“It was a very tight game, and it got really chippy,” Bowe said. “To (Wells’) credit, they played well. (On those two shots), I definitely felt like I needed to get something done. I didn’t want to force anything, though, especially since I was getting boxed, and I knew other guys were going to get open.”

And when they got open was in the fourth, as Cape went on an 8-0 run to start the period; an assault that was capped off by another 3 by Bowe with just under five minutes remaining. From then on, it was a single-possession game until McDonough hit his miracle shot to tie it at the buzzer. In the overtime, Cape immediately retook the lead when Brown was fouled and made both on a 1-and-1. The Capers widened their advantage to four when Bowe drained both of his free throws on a 1-and-1 a minute later, and made more foul shots even after the Warriors cut it to two on a 3 by sophomore guard Dylan Stevens.

“We never questioned that we could win,” Bowe said. “Obviously, it was concerning that we were put in that position, but there was never any doubt that we could win. I don’t think as a team as a whole that we took them for granted. We definitely weren’t looking by them or anything. But we came out flat, and we had to respond.”

With the win, the Capers move on to the Class B quarterfinals where they will face No. 3 York. The game is scheduled for Feb. 22 at 9 p.m. at the Cumberland County Civic Center. Look for details on the game at www.keepmecurrent.com.