South Portland boys drop heartbreaker to Windham in state final
Red Riots can’t hold fourth quarter lead, fall one win shy of title with a 55-52 setback.
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Posted Yesterday at 2:34 AM
Michael HofferForecaster/Leader/Sentry
PORTLAND—South Portland’s boys basketball team got close enough to taste a third Class AA state championship in the past four seasons Saturday evening at the Cross Insurance Arena.
But instead, the reigning champion Windham Eagles ripped the Gold Ball away at the last moment.
Despite not having senior standout Manny Hidalgo on the floor for most of the frame, due to two quick fouls, the Red Riots put up 18 first quarter points and only trailed the Eagles by one.
A layup from junior emerging star Darius Johnson 16 seconds into the second period gave South Portland a lead it would hold throughout the frame and at halftime, thanks in large part to Johnson’s 13 points and nine rebounds, along with 10 points from junior Gabe Jackson, the Red Riots were up, 34-31.
The talented teams went back-and-forth in the third quarter and when Hidalgo banked home a runner, South Portland held its biggest lead, 47-39, but a late 3 from Windham’s terrific clutch junior, Tyrie James, made it a five-point game heading to the final stanza.
And there, the Eagles soared and pulled out a repeat crown.
A free throw from senior Creighty Dickson tied the score with 6:08 on the clock, but 22 seconds later, Johnson’s old-fashioned three-point play gave the Red Riots the lead right back.
After Dickson and Red Riots senior Carmine Soucy traded hoops, James scored to pull Windham within a point.
And then, disaster struck for South Portland, as Hidalgo picked up his fourth foul, immediately followed by his fifth, forcing him to watch the rest of the game from the sidelines.
And with 1:32 to play, two James free throws not only gave the Eagles their first lead since the start of the second period, but put them in front to stay.
Junior A.J. Moody added a layup to make it a three-point game and despite some good looks in the waning seconds from Jackson, the Red Riots never scored again and Windham held on to repeat, 55-52.
The Eagles got 16 points from Dickson and 12 from James as they finished the year 18-4, won the second Gold Ball in program history and in the process, ended South Portland’s solid campaign at 16-6.
“I’m just really proud of the guys,” said Windham coach Chad Pulkkinen. “We’ve gotten everyone’s best shot every single night.”
“No complaints,” Red Riots coach Kevin Millington said. “I’m really proud of these guys. They competed so hard. They gave all they could.”
The ties that bind
If there wasn’t enough intrigue surrounding this matchup, the Kevin Millington factor amped it up a notch.
Millington spent 18 years as Windham’s coach and still teaches at the school. He was replaced as Eagles coach by Pulkkinen, a former player.
“Kevin’s been a friend of mine after I played for him and I cherish that friendship,” Pulkkinen said. “We have a long history together. He’s a great coach.”
Millington has turned the Red Riots into an annual title contender in his decade with the program, leading South Portland to the final game on the average of every other year.
Last season was one of those other years, as the Red Riots were upset by Thornton Academy in the quarterfinals.
This year’s team has been on a mission to get back to the big stage and despite some late-season struggles, didn’t disappoint.
The Red Riots started with a 67-59 home loss to highly-touted Noble, then dispatched visiting Lewiston (62-46) and host Scarborough (67-49) before falling at Cheverus (66-44). South Portland got back on track with victories at Sanford (63-46), and at home over Bonny Eagle (44-34), then rallied for a win at Deering (69-60) before rolling at home over Scarborough (78-47) and Portland (70-48). After shocking host Windham, which was undefeated at the time, 55-54, the Red Riots edged host Oxford Hills (55-52), then lost at Thornton Academy (38-33). South Portland bounced back by downing visiting Deering (66-60), host Gorham (63-45) and visiting Massabesic, 79-36. After losing at home to Cheverus (54-37), the Red Riots fell at Portland (46-38), then closed with a 74-61 home win over Gorham, giving Millington his 300th career victory.
After beating No. 7 Gorham in the quarterfinals, 60-42, South Portland made quick work of No. 3 Scarborough in the semifinals, 63-45, then pulled away in the second half to end the Cinderella run of No. 4 Bonny Eagle, 49-34.
Windham, meanwhile, started by beating Lewiston (85-54), then downed Gorham in a state game rematch (75-67) and defeated Edward Little (78-56), Portland (56-49), Cheverus (59-55), Oxford Hills (75-55), Gorham (78-48) and Bangor (68-38) before falling from the unbeaten ranks with a 55-54 home loss to South Portland. The Eagles bounced back by downing Marshwood (68-62) and Scarborough (73-70), then rallied from 15-points down in the fourth quarter to shock Falmouth, 75-72. After an 81-65 win over Bangor, Windham was stunned at Oxford Hills (70-65), then lost at home to Cheverus (66-51) and to Lewiston (49-46) before closing with home wins over Scarborough (57-45) and Deering (68-56).
The Eagles dispatched seventh-seeded Bangor, 76-40, in the quarterfinals, then held off No. 3 Portland (65-56) in the semifinals before downing No. 4 Edward Little, 55-49, to advance to states for the second year in a row.
The teams played just once this year and it was an instant classic, a one-point road win for South Portland on Hidalgo’s late hoop.
The teams had never before met in the tournament.
Saturday, in front of a huge, vocal crowd, there was little separation, as expected, and the contest, as expected, came down to the final horn.
Both teams started fast, as Eagles senior Conor Janvrin opened the scoring with a 3-pointer from the corner, then at the other end, South Portland senior Tom Maloji fed Johnson for a layup.
James then buried a long 3 and after Johnson countered with a putback, a driving layup from Conor Janvrin made it 8-4 Eagles less than two minutes into the contest.
After Hidalgo drove for a layup, he was called for his first foul and Dickson made a free throw.
Johnson tied the score with an old-fashioned three-point play (bank shot, foul, free throws), but with 5:25 left in the stanza, Hidalgo picked up his second foul and senior Braycen Freese added a free throw, as Hidalgo had to sit for the remainder of the quarter.
After Dickson added a foul shot, James drove like a whirling dervish and laid the ball home, forcing Millington to call timeout.
South Portland responded, as Johnson scored on a putback, Jackson scored his first points on a leaner, getting the roll, then with 2:27 left, Jackson’s driving layup gave the Red Riots their first lead, 15-13.
Freese got a point back at the line, but Jackson answered with a free throw.
With 1:28 left, sophomore Colin Janvrin showed how deadly he can be with a long 3 from up top, but Maloji countered with a putback.
Then, as time wound down, Dickson set up senior Joseph Blige for a layup and after the fourth lead change of the period, Windham clung to a 19-18 lead.
“That (score) wasn’t to my liking,” Millington said. “It was only to my liking because we did that without Manny on the floor. Trying to keep up with them could have been ugly.”
With Hidalgo still on the bench, South Portland went in front in the second period.
After a steal from junior Tadhg O’Donnell, Johnson made a layup, then Jackson buried a long 3 to make it 23-19.
Back came the Eagles, on a 3 from Dickson and a free throw from Moody to tie the score.
Jackson put the Red Riots back on top with a left-handed bank shot after a spin move.
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Hidalgo then returned with 3:49 left in the half and 10 seconds later, Johnson scored on a putback.
James fed Dickson for a backdoor layup, but Soucy buried a 3 to stretch the lead to five, 30-25.
Moody answered with a layup, from sophomore Colin Janvrin, but senior Addison Blais put home a miss for South Portland.
After Dickson sank a free throw, Hidalgo got a shot to roll in after one of his patented spin moves, but with just under a minute left, Dickson’s 3 cut the deficit to 34-31 at the break.
Johnson nearly had a first half double-double (13 points, nine rebounds), while Jackson tallied 10 points. Dickson paced Windham with 11 points.
In the third quarter, the Red Riots tried to pull away, but the Eagles hung close.
Johnson opened the second half with a driving layup, but Moody countered with two foul shots after Hidalgo was whistled for his third foul.
Again, South Portland persevered without him.
After Maloji banked home a contested shot, Conor Janvrin fed Dickson for a layup.
Jackson then hit a leaner, but again, Windham countered, as Freese drove and banked home a shot to make it 40-37.
After Johnson made a free throw, Jackson drove and banked home a shot to push the lead to six.
Moody made a layup after a steal, but Jackson put back his own miss and after Hidalgo returned, he banked home a runner for the Red Riots’ biggest lead, 47-39.
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The Eagles got some momentum back with 54 seconds to go when James buried a 3 and Windham was within five heading to the final stanza.
Where it completed the comeback.
After Blige scored on a putback, he took a pass from Dickson and made a layup, then Dickson’s free throw with 6:08 to go tied the score, 47-47.
South Portland responded and went right back on top, as after a Hidalgo steal, Johnson raced in for a layup while being fouled and he added the and-one free throw.
A Dickson putback pulled the Eagles back within one, but Johnson fed Soucy for a layup with 4:53 on the clock to make it 52-49.
But the Red Riots wouldn’t score again.
After Blige missed two free throws, a turnaround jumper from James, which bounced in, again pulled Windham within a single point with 3:23 to play.
Then, with 2:38 on the clock, Hidalgo was called for a charge, his fourth foul, and after an Eagles’ turnover, Jackson twice missed shots, giving Windham a chance to go in front.
And the Eagles finally did.
With 1:32 left, James was fouled by Hidalgo, meaning Hidalgo was done for the night and James went to the line with a chance to put Windham in front.
He made both free throws and for the first time since the score was 19-18, the Eagles were on top.
“I don’t really pay attention to the score, so there wasn’t any pressure,” James said.
“Free throws were an issue, but we got a few down the stretch,” Dickson said.
Things then went from bad to worse for South Portland, as Maloji drove to the basket and was called for a charge, his fifth foul.
“I think we really focused on possession and pressuring the ball and attacking the hoop and getting them in foul trouble,” Dickson said. “That was a huge advantage and it helped us a lot down the stretch.”
With 55 seconds on the clock, after passing up an open 3, Moody drove for a layup and a 55-52 advantage.
Jackson then had two looks at a tying 3, but he missed both, although the second went in-and-out.
Dickson got the rebound and James appeared to break free for a clinching layup, but he missed and Johnson got the rebound and the Red Riots had one final chance.
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Out of a timeout, South Portland tried to get Jackson an open look, but he never got one and as time wound down, Jackson heaved up a desperation 3 that was off the mark.
At 9:28 p.m., Windham at last was able to exhale and exult over its 55-52 victory.
“We knew Gabe would get a shot off, so we were switching and communicating to get around the screen,” Dickson said. “This one is unique because we were ones who were hunted this year. We got everyone’s best shot. It feels maybe even better than the first time. It’s so amazing to win states back-to-back and do it for the whole community, the players, coaches, everyone. We faced adversity all year and we kept playing through it.”
“It feels great, almost unreal,” James said. “If you told me eighth grade, freshman year we’d win two (championships) in a row, we wouldn’t believe it. We all just played basketball in the offseason more and worked together as a team. We have five guys on the court who can do anything.”
“A weight off my shoulders fell and I just looked for Tyrie, who’s my little brother, and Coach Pulkkinen,” Moody said. “I was just wanting to hug them. We just kept going. Being down 10, being down 20, it doesn’t matter, we’re always in a fight and we’ll never give up. That goes for everybody. Starters, people who don’t play. I’m happy how we fought. It was a close game and a game I’m happy we won.”
“The guys haven’t given me reason to be doubtful,” added Pulkkinen. “I’ve seen them work. We trust in how we do things and that things will go our way.”
Dickson finished with a team-high 16 points, to go with six rebounds and four assists.
James added 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Moody tallied nine points and had two assists and two steals.
Moody lost his father, Pat Moody, to cancer prior to the start of the season and the entire Windham community has taken him under its wing ever since.
“We had a tremendous loss at the beginning of the year because Pat was the mayor, the conductor of our community,” said Pulkkinen. “It’s a bittersweet moment, but I’m super-proud of how resilient this group is. I don’t think we’re in this spot without A.J. Moody. His strength really carried us through the tough times and the good times. I think A.J. took over the game at the end. He did a great job bothering Manny. He came up big.”
Blige had six points off the bench, while Conor Janvrin added five, Freese had four and Colin Janvrin finished with three (to go with six rebounds, two assists and two steals).
The Eagles made six 3-pointers to just two for the Red Riots and overcame 11-of-22 foul shooting and 14 turnovers to go back-to-back.
Windham parts with Blige, Dickson, Freese, Conor Janvrin and four others, but you’ve got to believe that a three-peat run is a distinct possibility with James, Moody and Colin Janvrin all returning.
“It’s so hard to say goodbye to the seniors,” said Moody. “I love those guys and they love me. We’ll have to go on, but it will be hard. We just have to stay together. Why this year’s and last year’s teams were so good is because we hung out during the summer, played during the spring. That chemistry came into the winter.”
“We had eight seniors who are really special kids,” Pulkkinen said. “They gave me everything they had. I appreciate what they brought.
“We have good, young guys who are hungry. They’ll be good players.”
Painful
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Johnson was superb on the big stage, producing a double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds, to go with four steals and two blocked shots.
“We thought we had a huge advantage going in with (Darius),” said Millington. “We wanted him to be super-active on the glass like he was. I’m not surprised. That’s what I expected.”
Jackson wound up with 16 points.
“(Gabe) was aggressive at the rim and he finished,” Millington said. “It’s not easy to get to the rim against an athletic team, but he was tremendous.”
Hidalgo was limited by fouls and wound up with six points.
Soucy added five points, Maloji had four (to go with six rebounds and two assists) before fouling out and Blais tallied two.
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The Red Riots dominated on the glass to the tune of a 33-18 rebounding advantage, made 4-of-6 free throws and turned the ball over 16 times.
And they almost overcame an abundance of adversity to take care of business.
Almost.
“We played almost the whole game without our best player and we still had a chance to win,” Millington said. “You can’t ask for much more than that. We got handcuffed at the end there with Manny and Tom on the bench. We had a couple good looks, but it’s tough to run stuff without guys who are a crucial part of what you run.
“Windham’s a great team. They’re the hardest team in the state to guard and we kept them in the 50s and we were winning most of the game without our best player on the floor. Both teams were aggressive and both teams got to the rim. They made some buckets and we didn’t. It was a really, really competitive, hard-fought game. It was a grind. I told people before the game, if the game was in the 40s, we’d win. If it was in the 50s, it would be a dogfight and if it was in the 60s, we’d be in trouble and that’s how it played out.
“We said from the beginning we wanted to be the best version of ourselves and I think we were. We were our best at the end. No one has any complaints except for the scoreboard and that’s something we’ll have to live with.”
South Portland graduates Blais, Hidalgo, Maloji and Soucy, along with reserves Hira Kangethe, Ashton Mutagoma, Baraka Odotte, Anthony Tyler and Donovan Watt.
“Tom and Manny and Carmine have been around three years and the other seniors had to take a backseat and not play and that’s hard, but I’m so proud of those guys,” Millington said.
While the Red Riots aren’t quite ready to look ahead to 2025-26, they’ll be stacked again with Jackson and Johnson returning, along with O’Donnell, who projects to play a bigger role.
The sting of this loss will eventually lessen and South Portland will be primed to make another run at a Gold Ball next season.
“We’ll turn the page somewhere down the road,” said Millington.
BOX SCORE
Windham 55 South Portland 52
W- 19 12 11 13- 55
SP- 18 16 13 5- 52
W- Dickson 5-4-16, James 4-2-12, Moody 3-3-9, Blige 3-0-6, Conor Janvrin 2-0-5, Freese 1-2-4, Colin Janvrin 1-0-3
SP- Johnson 8-3-19, Jackson 7-1-16, Hidalgo 3-0-6, Soucy 2-0-5, Maloji 2-0-4, Blais 1-0-2
3-pointers:
W (6) Dickson, James 2, Colin Janvrin, Conor Janvrin
SP (2) Jackson, Soucy
Turnovers:
W- 14
SP- 16
Free throws
W: 11-22
SP: 4-6
Previous state game results
Windham (1-0)
2024 Class AA
Windham 62 Gorham 58 (OT)
South Portland (13-11)
2023 Class AA
South Portland 52 Portland 42
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2022 Class AA
South Portland 58 Oxford Hills 44
2017 Class AA
Portland 60 South Portland 38
2016 Class AA
Portland 52 South Portland 50 (2 OT)
2013 Class A
Hampden Academy 45 South Portland 41
1993 Class A
Bangor 62 South Portland 37
1992 Class A
South Portland 81 Bangor 79 (5 OT)
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1985 Class A
Waterville 60 South Portland 35
1983 Class A
South Portland 66 Caribou 49
1980 Class A
South Portland 75 Old Town 51
1979 Class A
South Portland 102 Presque Isle 58
1978 Class A
Cony 84 South Portland 63
1971 Class A
South Portland 55 Presque Isle 53
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1970 Class A
Stearns 73 South Portland 67
1968 Class A
Stearns 59 South Portland 57 (OT)
1958 Class A
South Portland 83 Caribou 70
1954 Class A
Ellsworth 61 South Portland 40
1949 Class A
Waterville 51 South Portland 42
1938 Class A
Winslow 41 South Portland 26
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1931 Class A
South Portland 34 Presque Isle 29
1929 Class A
South Portland 25 Old Town 15
1928 Class A
South Portland 20 Bar Harbor 17
1926 Class A
South Portland Bangor (game not played)
1922 Class A
South Portland 24 Bangor 21
Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at [email protected].
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AJ Moody of Windham carries the Gold Ball following his team’s 55-52 win over South Portland in the Class AA boys basketball state championship game. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald
Saturday’s Class AA boys basketball state championship reel
The best plays from Windham’s win over South Portland. in Portland.
UpdatedMarch 2
Haley JonesSun Journal
Cooper SullivanThe Times Record
Windham beat South Portland by three points to capture the Class AA state championship on Saturday in Portland.
