PORTLAND — One thing was for certain when the Biddeford boys basketball team left the floor of the Portland Expo on Friday night: In no way did the Tigers play like a No. 9 seed.
Instead, Biddeford took full advantage of its nothing-to-lose mentality, taking a 34-31 halftime lead, before ultimately falling to No. 1 Deering 66-54.
The Tigers ended their season with at10-10.
“I don’t think words can say what kind of effort my kids put on tonight,” Biddeford head coach Mike Fecteau said. “Being a nine seed, going against a one seed with two 6-foot-5 kids, I think people saw what kind of kids Biddeford kids are, and they just always battle. They always put themselves in a situation where they want to win.”
The Rams (16-3) took advantage of their substantial size superiority, particularly in the second half. By the end of the contest, 6-foot-4 forward Thiwat Thiwat scored 20 points, while 6-foot-6 forward Labson Abwoch added 18 points. Deering was led by guard John Amabile, who scored a game-high 24 points. The trio accounted for 62 of the 66 points the Rams scored.
But none of that seemed to matter until the fourth quarter.
The Tigers went toe-to-toe with the Rams right through the first quarter, with both squads entering the second at a 17-17 standstill. The back-and-forth play continued until the end of the half, when Biddeford forward Nate McKeown nailed a 3-pointer to give the Tigers a 34-31 lead.
Tigers guard Bobby Cote made the most of the final high school game of his career. He scored 15 of his team-high 20 points in the first half, including two 3-pointers.
“I told them (at halftime), (the Rams) will be coming after you again,” Fecteau said. “Bobby had a great first half, and I knew they were going to try to get the ball out of his hands. They were going to try to trap whenever they could, and they did.”
Starting in the second half, the Rams picked up their play with a 9-0 run. Biddeford kept fighting to stay in the game, ending the third quarter down 48-43, before Deering outscored Biddeford 18-11 in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Also adding into the offensive mix for the Tigers was Matt Cote ”“ Bobby’s brother ”“ with eight points, as well as seven points a piece from Cam Nadeau and Nick Leblond.
It was the final game for seven Tigers players, including Bobby Cote, McKeown, Felipe Barbosa-Silva, Tyler Vigue, Patrick Laverriere, Andrew Descoteaux and Patrick Leland.
“I think everyone at this Expo was impressed with their effort,” Fecteau said. “They saw a great player perform. What can you say? My kids are just hard workers. I was impressed, I was very impressed.”
— Contact Dave Dyer at 282-1535, Ext. 323 or follow on Twitter @Dave_Dyer.
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