YARMOUTH—Coming off an Opening Night loss to York, Yarmouth’s boys’ basketball team needed a spark when it hosted rival Cape Elizabeth at Jack Stroud Gymnasium Wednesday evening.

And the Clippers got one.

Courtesy junior Ian Lawrence.

A back-and-forth first quarter saw Yarmouth cling to a one-point lead as time wound down, but Lawrence calmly buried a 3-pointer from just inside the halfcourt stripe for a 21-17 advantage and just like that, the Clippers roared to life.

Yarmouth then dominated the second period, outscoring the Capers, 20-0, for a commanding 41-17 halftime advantage.

Not surprisingly, Cape Elizabeth came out stronger in the third quarter, surpassing its first point total, but the Clippers’ lead never dipped below 15 and Yarmouth held a 54-35 advantage heading to the final stanza, where it pulled away for a 71-49 victory.

Lawrence scored a career-high 26 points and the Clippers evened their record at 1-1, dropping the Capers to 0-2 in the process.

“It was just about commitment,” said Yarmouth’s third-year coach Ilunga Mutombo. “That York loss really woke us up. I always give a quote at the beginning of every game. The quote today was, ‘How bad do you want it?’ The guys went out and competed. They wanted it.”

On the rise

Both Cape Elizabeth and Yarmouth are relying on a lot of new players this season.

The Capers, who finished 6-13 a year ago after a 73-51 setback at Mountain Valley in the Class B South preliminary round, have few veterans on their roster, but they have the pieces in place to contend.

The Clippers, who wound up 11-8 after a 61-33 loss to Medomak Valley in the Class B South quarterfinals, were also hard-hit by graduation, but have a promising nucleus, as untested as it might be.

Last year, Yarmouth captured both meetings: 65-44 in Cape Elizabeth and 69-50 at home.

Wednesday, in front of a vocal crowd, the Capers sought their first win over the Clippers since Feb. 1, 2022 (58-55 at home), but instead, Yarmouth showed how explosive it can be en route to its fourth straight triumph in the series.

The tone was set 72 seconds in, when Yarmouth sophomore Evan Oranellas knocked down a 3-pointer.

The Capers countered with a layup from sophomore Owen Beaureguard, set up by junior Tim Fredericks, and a Beaureguard 3-ball for what proved to be their lone lead, 5-3.

After Oranellas made two free throws to tie the score, he pulled up and drained a 3 with 5:07 on the first quarter clock to put the Clippers in front to stay.

Fifteen seconds later, Lawrence first got involved on the offensive end, taking a pass from Oranellas, making a layup while being fouled, then adding the and-one free throw for the old-fashioned three-point play.

Fredericks answered by putting home a missed shot with a reverse layup, then freshman Finn Connolly drained a 3 to pull the visitors within one, but Oranellas fed Lawrence with a no-look pass for a layup.

After Connolly scored on a leaner, junior Andrew Kelly hit a 3 for Yarmouth, then senior Wyatt Gawtry fed Lawrence for a layup and a six-point advantage.

Cape Elizabeth threatened to finish the frame in style, as senior Eli Smith made two free throws, then sank a 3 with just 8.8 seconds on the clock, but the Clippers rushed the ball up the floor and just before the horn, Lawrence let loose with a bomb from just inside midcourt.

The ball found nothing but net for a 21-17 advantage, turning momentum for good.

Lawrence knew his prayer would be answered from the release.

“It felt good right away,” Lawrence said. “I thought it was probably going in. We wanted to get a run going. That was a great energy shifter. Shout out to (senior) Torrey (Rogers), he got me some space and I just took advantage. I knew what I wanted to do and I went and did it. Everyone on the bench was hyped.”

“That was a big-time energy booster,” said Mutombo. “We do a drill at the end of practice where we do halfcourt shots and (Ian) doesn’t hit them in practice. He knew it was good. He was locked in, focused, eager to play. That was the result.”

Yarmouth then completely dominated the second period, blanking the Capers to put a stranglehold on the contest.

Lawrence continued to excel, scoring on a putback, setting up Oranellas for a 3, then taking a pass from freshman Adam Maxwell and burying a 3-ball of his own for a 29-17 advantage, forcing Cape Elizabeth coach Jeff Mitchell to call timeout.

It didn’t help, as Clippers senior Chris Augur got an offensive rebound, got the ball back and sank a 3, then Maxwell fed Lawrence for a breakaway layup.

After Lawrence fed Kelly for another 3-ball, Maxwell, who has star of the future written all over him, grabbed a rebound and threw another perfect long outlet pass to Lawrence for another layup and a 39-17 advantage.

“Usually, I’m looking for an open man, but when I hear the bench say, “Outlet!” I just chuck it,” said Maxwell. “It’s really fun. My teammates put me in good spots and Coach Mutombo helps me a lot. I just want to find my role and execute it.”

“(Adam’s) brought so much,” Lawrence said. “He’s a great big and a great player on the offensive and defensive ends.”

“I’ve believed in Adam since he was an eighth grader,” added Mutombo. “I’ve been waiting for him. His growth, maturity and love for the game makes coaching him so easy. I love his passion. He’s a leader as a freshman and I love that about him. Today, he showed what he can do rebounding.”

With 1:49 on the clock, Lawrence took a pass from Rogers and made a layup and after Capers freshman Carter Mitchell missed two foul shots, the Clippers waltzed into the locker room with a 41-17 lead.

Lawrence (19) and Oranellas (13) combined for 32 points and Yarmouth was well on its way to victory.

But the Capers would come out strong in the third quarter.

Eleven seconds into the second half, Beaureguard buried a 3 to end the 23-0 run and the Capers’ 8 minute, 17 second scoring drought.

After Oranellas set up Augur for a layup, Fredericks scored on a bank shot, then, after a Smith steal, Smith set up Fredericks for a layup.

Rogers countered by feeding senior Bobby Wolff for a layup, but Smith drained a 3, then Beaureguard did the same, cutting the deficit to 45-30.

That’s as close as Cape Elizabeth would get, however, as Lawrence answered with a 3 and Maxwell threw a long feed ahead to junior Jayden Pelletier for a layup.

Connolly hit a 3 for the Capers, but Kelly set up Maxwell for a layup and his first points.

After Smith buried a jumper, Kelly stole the ball and got it to Lawrence for another buzzer-beater, this time a layup, and a 54-35 advantage.

When Wolff started the fourth period with a layup, then Lawrence stole the ball and made another layup, the competitive phase of the contest was over.

Fredericks hit two free throws, but Rogers set up Maxwell for a layup.

After Fredericks scored on a putback, Rogers, who had a team-high 22 points in the opener, scored his first basket, a 3-ball, and Rogers added a putback and just like that, Yarmouth had its biggest lead, 65-39.

All that excitement was too much for the electrical system, as with 3;13 to go, the power momentarily went out.

Order was quickly restored and the Clippers finished it off.

After Smith hit two free throws, he drained a 3.

Sophomore Owen Oranellas made a layup after a steal for Yarmouth and after Capers’ junior Will Vaine drove for a layup, Rogers scored on a putback and Owen Oranellas took a pass from his brother and made a layup for the Clippers’ final points.

With 26.9 seconds to play, Fredericks drained a 3, but it was far too-little, too-late and Yarmouth closed out its 71-49 victory.

“A win feels great,” said Maxwell. “Coming off the loss to York, this is a big momentum shift for the rest of the season.”

“I knew we’d have to keep going because Cape’s a good team,” Lawrence said. “We just did what we had to do. Everyone’s had to step up.”

“Our mindset was to focus on defense heavily this week after our loss,” Mutombo added. “We had to show them different looks. They’re a good team with a great coach. We showed looks from zone to man to blitzing to fullcourt to halfcourt. The guys went above and beyond, diving on the floor, rebounding and pushing the ball. It was great defense.”

Lawrence led all scorers with 26 points. He also had seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Evan Oranellas didn’t score in the second half, but still wound up with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Rogers added seven points (to go with six rebounds, four assists and two steals), Kelly had six points, Augur five, Maxwell four (to go with 10 rebounds, six assists, three blocked shots and three steals), Owen Oranellas four, Wolff four (as well as four rebounds) and Pelletier two.

The Clippers sank 10 3-pointers, had a 42-31 edge on the glass, made 3-of-4 free throws and overcame 20 turnovers.

Cape Elizabeth’s effort was paced by Smith, who had 15 points, four steals, three assists and two rebounds, and Fredericks, who tallied 13 points, to go with six rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals.

“I asked Tim to be a dog and guard (Rogers) and he did,” Jeff Mitchell said. “That was a positive for sure.”

Beaureguard also finished in double figures with 11 points. Connolly added eight points and Vaine had two.

The Capers made 6-of-9 foul shots and turned the ball over 19 times.

“We’ve been struggling to put four quarters together,” Jeff Mitchell said. “We’re young. Starting on the road with two games is tough, but we just have to keep focusing on doing what we’re doing. They shot really well. First half, they had to have been well over 50 percent from 3. That’s tough. We did the right things defensively, but they hit shots. My guys gave 100 percent to the end.”

Next challenge

The teams meet again Jan. 4 in Cape Elizabeth, but both squads have multiple games in the interim.

The Capers finally get to play in their home gym Friday when Lincoln Academy pays a visit.

“We’ve talked about coming back tomorrow and getting the next one,” Jeff Mitchell said. “That has to be our mindset. Practices have been great and we’ve gotten better and better. We just have to trust each other and things will pay off.”

Yarmouth will go on the road for the first time Friday, when it plays at Lake Region.

“We just need to bring the energy every practice and every game,” said Maxwell. “We have to lock in and stay focused and execute.”

“This is only two games, we’ve got 16 more to go,” Lawrence said. “I’m confident we can do what we have to do to go deep in playoffs. We have a hard schedule coming up. A lot of good Class A teams. We have to bring this effort and energy every day. If we do, I think we’ll have a good season.”

“We just need to compete one game at a time,” added Mutombo. “Next practice has to be our best practice and our next game has to be our best game. That’s our mentality. We’re going on the road. It’s going to be awesome to see how we play away. Lake Region plays hard, so we’ll have to practice hard and get ready for them.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net.