AUGUSTA — Harry Louis swiped the ball, saw some room and darted up the court for an easy layup.
And then the Valley freshman did it again.
The momentum-swinging baskets gave sluggish No. 2 Valley a spark midway through the third quarter of an eventual 56-45 win over No. 7 Vinalhaven in a Class D South quarterfinal game Saturday morning.
“That was the turning point,” Valley coach Mike Staples said. “That put us over the top. As Harry goes, basically it’s how we go.”
Louis scored 27 points, including 14 in a pivotal third quarter in which the Cavs used an 18-5 run to break open a 24-24 game.
Valley (12-7) will meet No. 3 Greenville (7-12) in a D South semifinal game Wednesday at 10 a.m., at the Civic Center.
Also in D South boys basketball quarterfinal action Saturday, No. 4 Seacoast Christian used a relentless press to roll past No. 5 Temple Academy, 53-30.
The Guardians (7-12) got 19 points from senior Isaiah Cardinal and 12 from Eli Cardinal.
“We love our press,” Isaiah Cardinal said. “We use it almost the whole game. We like to run and play fast. … This is one of the best games I’ve had of late.”
Seacoast Christian won all three meetings with Temple by at least 19 points.
“We knew them well,” Seacoast Christian coach Lee Petrie said. “We wanted to get our pressure going, and we did. We live and die by pressing.”
The Guardians will play either top-seeded Forest Hills (15-3) or No. 8 Pine Tree Academy (1-14) in a regional semifinal game Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., also in Augusta. Those teams play Monday.
While Seacoast Christian had little trouble advancing, Valley needed a strong half to avoid the upset.
Valley freshman Fisher Tewksbury scored 19 points and senior Brodie Ricker added seven to help lead Valley, which struggled at the onset. Senior guard Robbie Swears scored 27 points for the Vikings, who led 22-20 at the half.
The Cavs had a hard time early to get into any offensive rhythm, with poor shot selection and turnovers taking their toll.
The teams were tied 8-8 after the first quarter.
“It was not the start we were looking for,” Staples said. “I’m not going to lie, I was pretty disappointed with how we were playing.”
Added Louis: “Just energy. That was really it. We came out with low energy. Hopefully, we’ll be better next game.”
The teams were tied 24-all when Swears scored early in the third quarter.
But then Valley awoke, thanks to a pair of steals and layups from Louis. Up 31-24, Louis then connected on three 3-pointers as the lead swelled to 40-29.
“We started to settle down,” Staples said. “We started to run some of the stuff we want to run. We were a lot more patient in the second half.”
Louis scored six more points early in the fourth quarter to help Valley go up 50-34. However, Vinalhaven tried to claw back with an 11-3 run to pull within 53-45.
“We just had to stay focused,” Staples said.
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