YSCC Men’s Basketball Conference Final Preview
(YSCC) – It was another exciting round of play in the Yankee Conference Men's Basketball Semifinals. The big day is approaching – the conference champions will be crowned this coming Saturday, and we asked our two coaches to talk to us in anticipation of the game. The championship game will feature the visiting #2 NHTI Lynx against the #1 Southern Maine CC Seawolves.
Tuesday's semifinal matchup featured the rivaled #4 Central Maine CC Mustangs against the #1 Southern Maine CC Seawolves. Coach Matt Richards and the Seawolves stayed afloat and earned the right to host the championship match. Coach Richards said, "our semifinal game was a hard-fought game by both teams. [It's] exactly what you expect with two team that know each other well." Ian Regan led the Seawolves with 24 PTS and Cameren Cousins had 10 REB.
Along with the pressure of being the top seed in the tournament, the Seawolves also earned home-court advantage, which Richards hopes provides "familiarity of setting" and hopes "that advantage will be able to carry us to success." Richards also clarified that "being the #1 seed comes with expectations." Richards emphasized the importance of how the coaches "have really stressed the idea of playing every play like it is your last." On top of playing through every last minute, Coach Richards says that his team needs "to minimize [the Lynx] ability to get transition points." Richards believes that forcing "a more execution-style game" will serve as "a major advantage for us" and lead them to victory.
In their Wednesday semifinal game, the #2 NHTI Lynx faced off against the #6 Great Bay CC Herons. The Lynx trailed at the half but were able to come out with the win to advance. Coach Paul Hogan of the Lynx reflects that it was a "tough game against a quality well-coached team in Great Bay under Coach Alex Burt." Further from Hogan on the semifinal, "our team just stayed the course on both ends of the court and we were able to control the second half to secure the win." The Lynx had big contributions from Anthony Gauthier and Scott Spann, respectively, with 24 PTS and 20 PTS.
Heading into the weekend, Coach Hogan notes that the Seawolves "are a very tight-knit tough unit that plays extremely well together" and compliments the "marvelous job" Coach Richards has done in developing his team. Coach Hogan has continuously preached the importance of staying healthy, as he reiterated continuing "to work on our team health and chemistry as we prepare for the YSCC championship."
During the regular season, the Seawolves lost to the Lynx 74-77. In their second meeting, the Seawolves came out on top with a victory 82-67. It's clear that the competition between these teams will make for a great championship game.
Saturday, 2/26
NHTI @ Southern Maine CC 1:30pm
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Jordyn Kamis, YSCC Intern