The Gann Academy boys basketball team may not have been able to turn the corner against Berwick Academy on Friday afternoon, but the program at large has reached the next level.
Hosting its first-ever semifinals game, Gann endured several second-half blows before finally falling 68-62 to Berwick in the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council tournament.
The victory, however, came after sixth-seeded Gann's upset of No. 3-seeded MacDuffie 63-59 on Wednesday, marking just the second time in program history Gann advanced to the semis.
``We just couldn't get over the hump in the second half,'' second-year Gann coach Don Dabenigno said. ``We fought, we battled, we cut (the deficit) down. We had a couple of hoops that didn't go in, and a couple in and outs, and then they hit some big, big 3s. They hit some big 3s, we didn't get out and challenge a couple, and that hurts.
``It never seemed like we were confidently in control, but we were always on the cusp.''
Trailing by four points going into the second half, Gann came out on a 10-0 run to take a 39-35 edge with 12:28 to play. But a Berwick three-point play kicked off an 8-0 run that reclaimed the lead, 43-39, for the visitors.
``We talked about it at halftime - we didn't have a real good first half defensively,'' Dabenigno said. ``Offensively, we were pleased, but defensively, generally people don't score 35 points on us in a half. We said we have to dig down, and we did. We came back to start the second half. We were pleased with that. We just couldn't get over that hump.''
Gann mostly stayed within one or two points for the next eight minutes, absorbing two big 3-pointers by Berwick, and even had a chance to take the lead after cutting the deficit to 56-55. But senior guard Kevin Baker's 3-pointer missed the mark, and junior forward Jared Rodman (15 points) - the backbone of the Gann defense - fouled out while going for the rebound.
``I thought I was just jumping up straight. I don't know what the refs saw,'' Rodman said. ``I must've pushed off or something. I would definitely liked to have been out there. I felt I could've done more, but the guys still played well. The other team hit some big 3s.''
Berwick hit four consecutive free throws to go up 60-55 with 1:44 to play.
About 24 seconds later, Baker knocked down another 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 60-58, but Berwick responded with its own triple the next time down, leaving 54.1 seconds left on the clock.
Baker, who finished with a team-high 18 points, said playing from behind the entire second half wore his team out.
``A lot of times our defense breaks down, and we get discouraged,'' he said. ``We fell a little behind. We need to work on staying up when we're behind and hitting our shots. Sometimes we get tired and we don't use our legs on our shots.
``I'm really excited about how all the seniors played today. Everyone worked their hardest and really played with a lot of heart out there. This group, in particular, we're all friends off the court. We click really well on the court, we make good passes. No one really is selfish out there, and I think that is important for team chemistry.''
Besides having four players with one year of playing in Dabenigno's system under their belt, Baker said the difference between last year's squad, which finished 10-10, and this year's team (14-8) was the addition of a big man, senior center Yoni Philosophe. Senior point guard Noah Davis was also new to the lineup. Both players scored eight points on Friday, while senior forward Adam Ephraim had 11.
``Last year we didn't have as much of a presence down low,'' Baker said. ``When you run the flex (offense), you need guys who can finish underneath the basket. So our plays run a lot better.''
The team graduates six seniors, but also had a core of juniors that saw quality playing time this season.
``This gives us a lot of confidence. We got further than almost any other Gann team in history,'' Rodman said. ``I'm a junior, so this will help us for next season. There's a lot of chemistry. Our team off the court is a really tight-knit group.
``We were just happy to make NEPSAC. It's a pretty prestigious tournament, so any team you play, you know is going to be a great team, and now we know we can compete with them.''
Gann last made the semifinals in 2004, but lost on the road in that season's tournament.
``Moral victories sometimes are empty, but we fought hard, and that's what we've done all year,'' Dabenigno said. ``We've overcome some things.
``We played up tempo, we ran and we played defense all year. Every year's a building block, and next year we reload.''
