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BANGOR – Rick Sinclair knew exactly where the stepladder would be, leaning against the huge steel girder near the rear exit doors of the Bangor Auditorium.
Moments after Husson College edged St. Joseph’s College 74-71 for the Maine Athletic Conference men’s basketball championship, the Braves’ junior forward was lugging it out onto the court.
He had seen opposing teams make the climb, ad nauseam, during his years at Hermon High School. Deliberately, he climbed the rungs to the top, where he used tape scissors to slice through the cord that held the net to the rim.
Sinclair scored five clutch points during Husson’s final 15-3 spurt en route to a game-high 16 points while leading Coach Warren Caruso’s Braves to their second straight MAC title.
Third-seeded Husson, now 23-8, advances to the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Championships March 8-14 in Nampa, Idaho. It is the Braves’ fifth appearance in the nationals in the last seven years.
Coach Rick Simonds’ Monks, the No. 1 tourney seed, wound up 21-6.
Sinclair savored the moment because he never won a title in three tourney appearances for Hermon.
“I’ve been waiting for that for a long time, to cut down a net at the Auditorium,” Sinclair said. “That was for all the people out there (Hermon), Coach (Clayton) Blood, everybody.”
Sinclair said Husson’s senior captains came up big.
“Our keys were the play of Bryan (Jefferson) with the ball, keeping us all under control, and Obadiah (Johnson) on the boards,” he said. “We had a lot of leadership tonight.”
Caruso was pleased Husson could continue its tradition.
“These kids have shown guts all year long,” Caruso said. “Time and time again they’ve had their backs to the wall, and they maybe haven’t had the respect of past years’ clubs, but they’ve responded every time.”
While the victory was sweet for Sinclair, teammate Xavier Joyner was equally appreciative. Husson’s senior tri-captain tossed in 15 points Monday night and contributed four steals and three assists.
“For me personally, it’s extremely special because last year I dislocated my shoulder right before the playoffs (against St. Joe’s) and didn’t get a chance to participate in this,” Joyner said. “As a senior, this is one of the best feelings you could ever have, winning back-to-back championships, and this time I was a part of it.”
Husson made an early move three minutes into the second half as Bryan Jefferson’s defensive play sparked a 13-3 run that put the Braves ahead 53-48 with 12:49 left.
The Monks countered with a 17-4 flurry, hammering the ball inside to Lynn Campbell, who scored eight close-range points to put St. Joe’s in front 65-59 with 6:35 left.
Husson responded and clamped down on the defensive end with a 2-3 zone. The Braves also executed crisply on offense. Sinclair hit two free throws to get it started, then drained a long 3-pointer to slice the deficit to one.
Joyner stuck a 3-pointer that put Husson on top for good with 5:02 left. A Jimmy Watkins foul shot and Jefferson’s runner in the paint made it a five-point lead and the Braves made it stand up.
“We switched to a zone and they couldn’t hit from the perimeter or get the ball inside,” Caruso said. “We took over the boards and started executing offensively.”
Obadiah Johnson contributed 13 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, while Tony Tobin scored 10 points. Jefferson provided eight points and eight assists.
John Wassenbergh and Campbell had 14 points each for the Monks, and Wassenburgh added 10 rebounds. Steve Shorey and Jamie McGarry added 11 points each for St. Joe’s, which outrebounded Husson 53-37.
The Monks rattled off a 26-8 run that gave them a 41-27 lead with 3:44 left before halftime. Eight St. Joe’s players scored during the nine-minute surge.
But Tobin gave the Braves a lift, nailing two 3-pointers and two free throws as Husson’s transition attack generated an 11-0 burst that got the Braves back within 41-28 at intermission.
Braves 74, Monks 71
Husson men Saint Joseph’s
Name G AG F AF TP Name G AG F AF TP
Jefferson 4 11 0 2 8 Zanchi 3 4 0 0 6
Tobin 3 8 2 2 10 Sewer 2 7 0 0 5
Moody 0 0 0 0 0 Teahan 0 0 0 0 0
Johnson 5 14 2 2 13 Mitchell 1 5 3 4 6
Joyner 5 11 2 2 15 Fortier 0 4 0 0 0
Durost 0 0 0 0 0 Thombs 0 0 0 0 0
Watkins 2 3 3 6 7 Wassenbrgh 4 14 6 10 14
Kennedy 0 0 0 0 0 McGarry 3 8 5 6 11
Locke 0 0 0 0 0 Shorey 4 12 2 2 11
Alley 2 3 0 1 4 Costigan 1 1 2 2 4
Sinclair 5 12 3 4 16 Campbell 7 17 0 0 14
McAneany 0 0 1 3 1
Totals 26 62 13 22 74 Totals 25 72 18 24 71
Husson 38 74
Saint Joseph’s 41 71
3-pt. goals: Husson (9-25): Tobin 2-4, Johnson 1-6, Joyner 3-6, Sinclair 3-7, Jefferson 0-2; St. Joe’s (3-16): Sewer 1-4, Mitchell 1-3, Shorey 1-6, Fortier 0-1, McGarry 0-2
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