Alley basket in final seconds gives Royals win

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BANGOR – Jonesport-Beals interim head coach Troy Alley and Bangor Christian coach Gary Colson were preaching the same thing Tuesday night – patience.

For the Royals, it was a matter of having faith in their ability to eventually battle back from a 13-point, third-quarter deficit.

The Patriots were concerned about maintaining poise in the face of the Royals’ swarming full-court pressure and half-court trapping.

Jonesport-Beals’ patience ultimately was rewarded. Senior guard Shane Alley hit an eight-foot jumper from the baseline with three seconds remaining to give the Royals a 65-63 Class D basketball victory at Husson College’s Newman Gym.

“We’re getting used to it this way. Every game’s been right down to the wire so far,” said Shane Alley. “We just push it as fast as we can and we usually score that way.”

Freshman guard Kyle Bradford had given 3-5 Bangor Christian renewed hope when he drained a game-tying 3-pointer from the right wing with 19 seconds left. However, the Royals called a timeout with 15 ticks left and set up a play for Alley.

“The last play was for D.R. [Alley] to set a pick on Shane and for the big kids to roll to the ball. He went deep in the corner [and made the shot],” explained Troy Alley, who is coaching the team as his father, longtime coach Ordie Alley, contends with myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular autoimmune disease marked by a weakening of the voluntary muscles.

Bangor Christian dictated the pace much of the way, running a half-court offense that combined the inside talents of Pat McCleary and some steady 3-point shooting by Madden and David Chrisos. However, the Patriots eventually appeared to tire and started turning the ball over more frequently and taking quicker shots as the Royals continued to hound them all over the floor.

“Gary [Colson] does a good job and they’ve got a good young team,” Troy Alley said. “We played man-[to-man] on the press and then dropped into the 1-2-2 [zone] and it kind of turned the tide for us a little bit.”

Shane Alley led all scorers with 20 points, 10 in the fourth quarter. D.R. Alley hit seven of 10 shots on his way to 15 points while providing six assists and tireless defense for the Royals.

Jamie Alley worked relentlessly inside, contributing 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Alvin Beal added nine points and seven rebounds.

Smooth-shooting 6-foot-5 center McCleary paced Bangor Christian with 18 points, eight rebounds, and three blocked shots. However, with the Royals effectively pressuring the Patriots’ guards, McCleary did not attempt a shot in the fourth quarter.

Chrisos hit three 3-pointers on his way to 13 points for the hosts, while Bradford (five assists) and freshman Josh Madden chipped in with nine points each. Matt Tyree finished with eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

The 4-1 Royals, who had raced to a 9-2 lead, trailed by 10 points (53-43) with six minutes to play. Slowly, they were able to force a quicker tempo while ripping off a 10-0 scoring flurry that tied the game at 53-53 with 4:22 remaining.

D.R. Alley ignited the Royals’ spurt, scoring on an offensive rebound. Shane Alley scored a layup off an Alvin Beal steal, then hit a 10-foot turnaround shot. Jamie Alley’s layup off a penetrate-and-dish play by Troy Alley, then a steal and layup by D.R. Alley off an inbounds play, made it 53-all and fired up the Royals.

Shane Alley scored three baskets in the last 2:41 to help the Royals prevail.

Jonesport-Beals outrebounded Bangor Christian 39-29, including an 11-6 edge in the fourth quarter. The Royals also outscored the hosts 16-6 from the foul line.

The Patriots built a lead with a 9-1 run late in the second quarter. McCleary scored a layup in transition, then Madden answered a free throw by J-B’s Alvin Beal with a 3-pointer. Two Bradford foul shots and McCleary’s rebound hoop made it 34-24 with 1:17 left in the half.

Royals 65, Patriots 63

Jonesport-Beals (4-1) Bangor Christian (3-5)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG F AF TP

D.R. Alley 7 10 1 2 15 Madden 3 9 9

Mitchell 0 2 3 4 3 Conley 0 0 0

Jas. Beal 0 2 1 2 1 Tyree 3 6 8

Kelley 1 3 1 2 4 Chrisos 5 14 0 13

Al. Beal 3 8 3 6 9 Bradford 2 9

Robinson 1 5 1 2 3 Doten 0 0 0

Ab. Beal 0 0 0 0 0 Sobey 3 4 6

S. Alley 9 18 2 2 20 McCleary 9 14 0 0 18

Merchant 0 0 0 0 0

Ja. Alley 3 12 4 4 10

Totals 24 60 16 24 65 Totals 25 52 6 10 63

Jonesport-Beals 12 26 37 65

Bangor Christian 16 34 49 63

3-pt. goals: J-Beals (1-9): D. Alley 0-1, Ja. Beal 0-2, Kelley 1-2, Sh. Alley 0-3, Ja. Alley 0-1; BC (7-21): Madden 2-6, Chrisos 3-10, Bradford 2-4

Attendance: 200 (est.)

Preliminary: Bangor Christian JVs 57-34