Auburn, ME - He was under the pile, somewhere. Kaleb Benjamin (Belfast, ME) drained a game winning three with no time left on the clock tonight as CM nipped rival SMCC 85-83 in a packed house at Central Maine. Every kid fantasizes about hitting the game winning shot. However, it's very special when your whole family, throngs of alum and a passionate crowd is in attendance; it brings it to a whole new level.
The game was everything the fans would expect for a typical SMCC/CM game. Twelve lead changes, physical play, key shots and a crowd that would make any college in Maine jealous.
CM jumped in front behind Carrington Miller (Bingham, ME) and floor leader Rob Skinner (Winsted, CT) as both were active on both ends of the court. The game went back and forth the first half with the Mustangs taking a slim 41-38 lead in the locker room.
After halftime contests sponsored by the Maine Red Claws and SunTan City, both teams emerged from the locker room ready for battle. The Mustangs jumped out early in the second half and continued to lead most of the half at one point stretching the lead to 11 points until the four minute mark when the Seawolves went on an 8-2 run. With two minutes remaining, Jordan Derosby took advantage of four Rob Skinner fouls and got to the basket two successive times to score. A tenuous five point Mustang lead fell to one point with 30 seconds on the clock. A Mustang turnover allowed the Seawolves to set up for the last shot. However, CM held firm and bottled up a Derosby drive resulting in a turnover. Overtime.
CM again jumped out quick leading by five points for the first three minutes of overtime but the Seawolves came roaring back. Five minutes of back and forth play resulted in a stalemate and set the stage for Benjamin. Fourteen seconds on the clock and the Mustangs took a time out. The strategy was to find Miller slashing in the paint and if not score, get to the free throw line. Solid Seawolves defense took Miller out of the play so CM went to plan B. After Skinner attempted to get to the basket, he was stopped resulting in a pass to Thomas Cedre (Auburn, ME) who could not get the shot off. Cedre moved the ball to the top of the key to a waiting Benjamin who calmly drained a 24 footer which hit the bottom of the net. Before Kaleb had time to react, he was overcome by the by a surging crowd and teammates who stormed the court. Mustangs win.
Rob Skinner led CM netting 23 points, 11 rebounds and dished out 4 assists in an ironman performance playing 41 minutes. Miller followed up with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 assists also playing 37 minutes. Pietro Badalassi (Canberra, Australia) was the games unsung hero. Pietro had the challenging task of guarding Seawolves star Matt Talbot. Not only did Badalassi check the scorer, but contributed 16 points, hauled down 6 rebounds and contributed 6 assists.
CM increases their record to 11-2 in conference and 19-8 overall. The squad travels to out of state rival New Hampshire Technical Institute Friday seeking win number 20 on the season.
