YSCC Men's Basketball Tournament Championship Recap

Auburn, ME – The YSCC Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments came to an end on Sunday, concluding ten thrilling postseason games and crowning two conference champions. In the end, it was a mix of a favorite and an underdog cutting down the nets on Dave Gonyea Court inside Kirk Hall at Central Maine Community College.

In the men's game, #4 seeded Southern Maine won its sixth Yankee Small College Conference title, and its first since winning back-to-back tournaments in 2022 and 2023, with a 90-87 victory over #2 seeded UMaine Augusta.

After trading baskets in the opening minute, SMCC made the first runs of the game, opening up leads of 8-2 and 19-11. Chance Mercier, Nathan Mugisha, and Ellia Macea all made shots to set the tone for the Seawolves early on. UMA rallied back to tie the game, 21-21 on a Will Francis jump shot midway through the half. Rocco Chang, Aviyon Matthews, and Khalif Bettis combined in the 10-2 run.

Both defenses made adjustments and it became harder to find open shots in the latter ten minutes of the first segment. Neither team made a field goal in a more than three-minute stretch, but the Seawolves knocked down more free throws during that time to stay in front. Back-to-back three-pointers from Bettis and Donte Sharp put the Moose back on top for the first time since the opening score, nosing out to a 31-30 lead with 5:34 remaining.

The score was tied three more times before the break. Matthews and Chang made the final layups of the half to give UMaine Augusta a six-point edge, up 42-36, when the buzzer went for halftime.

Sean Bosia hit a jump shot of Southern Maine's first possession of the second half, but that was one of the only things to go the underdogs way in the early minutes. UMA went on a 14-2 run thanks to Chang, Matthews, and Bettis, capped off with an emphatic dunk by Kobe Edwards. SMCC was suddenly staring down a 16-point deficit with 16:29 to play.

Bosia and Sharp traded three-pointers, but it was All-Conference selection Mercier that got his team back into the game. The Ellsworth, ME native made an and-one layup, converting the free throw. Following a basket from teammate Macea, he finished at the rim twice more, drawing another foul and making the shot to cut the gap down to 59-53.

The comeback was on, but other players needed to do their part. Fellow freshman Jace Bessey stepped up next, making a layup and knocking down a triple while being fouled. The guard from Jay, ME tied the game at the line, 65-65 with 9:18 to go. Momentum was squarely on the Seawolves side, but little did they know that Sam DeWitt's three-pointer on the next possession would give them a lead they would not let slip away.

The Moose stayed close, not trailing by more than seven points in the second half. Bettis, Edwards, and Matthews cut it back down to a one-possession game on multiple occasions, and Chang made brought them to within a single point, down 86-85 with 2:10 left on the clock.

As the teams traded baskets down the stretch, it became a battle of who would miss first. DeWitt's jumper was answered by a layup from Sharp. Mercier missed an outside shot for SMCC in the final minute, but Edwards did the same on the other end. Mercier went to the line but only made one shot after a rare miss. UMA called timeout with 19 seconds to play needing a shot for the tie or the lead.

The Seawolves chose to go zone on the inbounds play, surprising the Moose. DeWitt then made the play to seal it, forcing the turnover from Sharp and drawing the foul with less than three seconds left. He also missed the first foul shot giving UMaine Augusta one last roll of the dice, but Matthews full court shot at the buzzer missed wide to end the game, 90-87.

The stats were as close as the score suggested. Both teams finished with five players in double figures. All-Conference players Mercier and Bettis led their teams with 27 and 25 points respectively. Macea (18), DeWitt (13), Bosia (13), and Bessey (12) finished in double-digits for SMCC while Matthews (18), Chang (17), Edwards (12), and Sharp (10) followed suit for UMA. Bettis and Macea matched each other with a game-high 12 rebounds while Nathan Mugisha also had double-digit boards with 10 for the Seawolves. DeWitt achieved his double-double by dealing out 12 assists.

Caitlyn McCoy paced the Mustangs with 14 points behind four three-pointers, with Breanna Dwyer adding 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Smith finished with 12 points. Petrocci's game-high 17 points led the Moose while Cox finished with 12 and Yvonne Roberge put up seven points and seven assists. Bettis was selected as the tournament's Most Outstanding Offensive Player for the Moose while SMCC's Bosia was chosen as the Most Outstanding Defensive Player. Mercier was named tournament MVP after an impressive 58 combined points over the semifinals and championship game.

SMCC improves to 23-6 on the year, with a 15-1 record in the second semester alone that included a program-record 13-game winning streak. They earn the conference's automatic bid to the USCAA national championships in Buffalo, NY. The Seawolves will find out their seeding during the selection show on February 24^th. The Moose are also expected to get an at-large bid to the national tournament.