BATH

It took all 48 minutes for this game to be decided, as Gardiner goalie Noah Keene stopped a Mason Savory shot as time expired to preserve a 7-6 win over Morse in a boys Class B high school lacrosse preliminary game at McMann Field on Wednesday.

“That was right down to the end, we knew they were resilient, but it’s nice to come out of here with a win,” Gardiner coach KC Johnson said.

The game’s final play began with 13 seconds left on the clock. Coming out of a timeout, Morse needed to move the ball the length of the field to attempt a shot.

“We drew up the play, knowing how they would defend it,” Morse coach Jay Paulus said. “I had (Kehl) Chadwick as my best longstick that could throw. I had him throwing to Sheamus (Mann), knowing they would lock up on him. This left Savory open to get the pass and take a shot, which he did. What a great save by their goalie.”

Keene made six saves in the final frame for the No. 9 Tigers.

“During the timeout leading up to that play, I was just hoping they wouldn’t get the ball up the field so quickly, but they did,” said the senior goalie. “I saw them get the ball and stepped out hard to try to save it.”

The win advances the Tigers (6-7) to a quarterfinal match with No. 1 Greely on Saturday. Morse ended its season with a 7-6 mark.

“This was a classic game between Morse and Gardiner,” Paulus said. “KC always has his team prepared and they always plays us well.”

The first quarter rolled by with each team feeling each other out, only putting four shots apiece towards the net. But it was Mann who slipped one past Keene at 9:46 to give eighth-seeded Morse a 1-0 lead, where the score stood after one quarter.

Connor Manter tied the game four minutes into the second frame, scoring off a pass from Jake Weston. The Tigers did not stop there, elevating their game, putting 10 shots on goal in the second quarter alone. While Morse goalie Dylan Maybee was spectacular in goal, making six saves, the Tigers found the back of the net three more times for four unanswered goals and a 4-1 lead into the break. Tanner Hebert, Parker Hinkley and Kyle Johnson spread the scoring around, each getting a tally in the run.

“Dylan was fantastic in net today,” Paulus said. “He wasn’t just making your regular saves, he was using his arms and legs and kicking shots away. What a great goalie he has become this year.”

Gardiner held an advantage in shots, 16-10, and faceoffs, 4-3, through the first half.

Morse rallies

Following a goal by Hebert to open the second half, Morse registered the next three goals over a span of three-and-a-half minutes to cut the lead to 5-4. Wyatt Hudson scored a pair, sandwiched around a Dom Green score for the ’Builders.

Gardiner scored a key goal from Boynton with two-seconds remaining to cushion the lead back to two goals, 6-4 after three quarters.

Bradley Phills had a quick score to push the lead out to 7-4, putting Morse back on its heels. But the Shipbuilders responded, with a pair of goals from Spencer Knowles, including a score off a pass from Mann out in front of the net, as Morse trailed by a goal with less than five minutes remaining in the game.

That’s when Gardiner’s defense rose to the occasion, keeping Morse from scoring again and limiting Shipbuilder chances in the final minutes.

“The ‘D’ stepped up today,” Johnson said. “We have a brand new set of “D” (players) and they are all young, so it was nice to see them rise to the occasion. Both goalies kept this game from being a different story.”

Keene felt the same about his defensive teammates.

“They worked hard on their offensive players, not allowing them to come at me,” added Keene.

Each team finished with 30 shots, while Maybee turned away 15 shots for Morse, Keene had 10 saves for the Rams.