BANGOR, Maine -- It didn't look good to start for the defending Class D champions on Monday, with the Bangor Christian Patriots falling behind 12-1 against the Lee Academy Pandas.
The Patriots didn't end up leading until overtime, but secured the only lead that really mattered with a 52-48 win at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. That followed a 33-21 victory for the Bangor Christian girls earlier in the day.
Bangor Christian sophomore guard Rajon Reed proved why he is one of the most exciting players to watch in this tournament, providing a team-high 16 points and some critical blocks on the defensive end of the floor. His free throw with less than 20 seconds left in the game tied the score at 46-46 and sent the exhilarating contest into overtime.
"We started off slow, and we just had to claw back," Reed said.
It was quite the turnaround from the first few minutes of the game, when it looked like the fifth-seeded pandas might run away from the fourth ranked Patriots.
"They came out ready to battle, and we had to match their intensity," Reed explained after the win, which he said "just helps us realize that we can play with the best teams, and we can pull through."
Bangor Christian coach Charlie Colson highlighted his team's youth when asked about the slow start.
"We have to take it one possession at a time. We're young, we're very young," Colson said after the game. "I have freshmen, sophomores. I only had one senior who even stepped on the floor. We're very young and we just had to calm them down. Make them understand that if they rebounded and they executed, we would be fine."
Asked how he felt after the close win, Colson said with a laugh that he was "feeling like it's time for a blood pressure pill."
Bangor Christian junior forward Jesse Booker was a force underneath, scoring 13 and providing what Lee coach Randy Harris called "a matchup nightmare" for the Pandas.
Reed pointed to the efforts from freshman guard Zach Helms and junior guard Elliot Straubel. Helms had six points and Straubel poured in 13 for the Patriots. A pair of back-to-back fourth quarter 3-pointers from Straubel added significant momentum to the Patriot comeback.
Reed added a three of his own with about a minute left that cut it to a one point game.
"I just have to step up and make big plays," Reed said. "I had a turnover, so I had to make up for it."
Lee senior forward Jackson Sabattus led all scorers for the game with 20 points. Senior guard Finn Knowles added 13 in the strong showing for the Pandas.
Harris credited his Lee team for "excellent" effort and said the game came down to the Pandas not making a few shots.
"If you never trail in the game until overtime, you probably should win," Harris said.
He said his team played hard all year long.
"Our kids really battled and worked hard, did a good job hanging in there," Harris said. "If we had knocked down a few more shots, who knows?"
Bangor Christian will continue its Class D title defense on Wednesday against Schenk of East Millinocket. That game will be played at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday at the Cross Center.
The Bangor Christian girls also advanced on Monday with a 33-21 win over the defending girls Class D champions from Southern Aroostook.
Junior forward Lyndsie Durost led the scoring for Bangor Christian with 10 points, followed by 9 from guard Rivers Bradford and 7 from guard Maris Kowalski who are both eighth-graders.
Bangor Christian girls coach Kevin Reed told the BDN ahead of the tournament that the Patriots are a balanced and well-rounded team.
"I tell our girls that offense comes and goes. You might not shoot well but you can always bring effort and energy on defense and the girls have bought into that," Reed said heading into the tournament. "Our defense drives us."
The well-rounded Patriot girls will play on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. at the same venue, also against Schenk.