Dover's Lewis hits last-second tourney-winning shot. Here are 5 takeaways from title game

DURHAM – The Dover High School boys basketball team was on the ropes, but it wasn’t out.

The Green Wave trailed St. Thomas Aquinas by eight points midway through the fourth quarter of Thursday's championship game at the 12th annual Oyster River Holiday Classic.

However, a stifling defense down the stretch enabled Dover to get back in the game, and a freshman won it in the final seconds.

More: Klein named tourney MVP. Here are five takeaways from Oyster River's holiday championship

Amari Lewis' baseline layup with 9 seconds left broke a 56-56 tie and the Saints missed a potential game-tying shot at the buzzer as the Green Wave pulled out a 58-56 win at Oyster River High School. It was the second holiday tournament championship in three years for the Green Wave.

“I thought we made the adjustments as the game went on and did what we had to at the end,” Dover head coach Matt Fennessy. ”It was a good win against a good St. Thomas team.”

Things were tight throughout most of the game. After being tied at 27 at halftime, the teams went on a third quarter scoring barrage that left St. Thomas with a 49-45 lead entering the fourth. The Saints scored six of the first eight points in the fourth before the Dover defense took over.

“We fought,” said St. Thomas coach Dave Morrisette. “I’m proud of how we played against a good team. I think we showed what type of team we can be.”

Dover senior David Cady scored a game-high 29 points, while senior teammate Dylan Jabre won tournament MVP honors, scoring 15 points to go with five rebounds and five steals in the championship game.

Freshman Cole McClure led St. Thomas with 20 points, while Carson Couperthwait had 10 points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Cady, Jabre, McClure, St. Thomas’s Will Mollica, Oyster River’s Matt Jernigan and Winnacunnet’s Tyson Khalil were named to the all-tournament team.

Here are five takeaways from the Bobcat Holiday Classic boys championship game.

Mental toughness key for Lewis

With 90 seconds left and trailing by 2, Dover’s Amari Lewis made a freshman mistake, fouling McClure well away from the play. Fennessy left Lewis in the game, and the young guard kept his head up, and made the game-winning basket less than a minute later, his only points of the game.

“I was nervous at first,” Lewis said. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to shoot it or drive. I ended up driving, and it felt like the ball was on the rim forever, but it went in. Then we got the defensive stop and got the win.”

After a Jabre 3-pointer tied the game inside the final minute, Grube picked up a steal to give Dover one last possession. The ball found its way to Lewis in the left corner. He made a quick move to the baseline and found a clear path to the basket, where his layup went up, sat on the rim for a couple heartbeats, then fell in.

“I was happy for him,” Fennessy said. “Amari is a freshman. He’s heady, and he made a play when we needed it.”

Lewis said it was easy not to dwell on the earlier mistake because he knew his team and coaches had faith in him when he was left in the game.

Dover defense locks down fourth quarter

Fennessy said he had been trying to get the message to his team to get after St. Thomas all game. As the game progressed, the Green Wave gained more and more intensity on the defensive end, culminating in a fourth quarter where they forced six St. Thomas turnovers, including Grube's steal with 42 seconds left.

“Pregame we talked about how we wanted to get up on (St. Thomas) and defend,” Fennessy said. ”As the game went on we were urging (the guys) a little more, and they finally figured it out. St. Thomas is very good.”

After Lewis' basket, the Green Wave still needed to defend one last possession. McClure’s shot came up short, and Dover’s Yavier Morales gathered the rebound to salt the game away.

“I thought they made us play faster than we wanted all game,” Morrisette said. “We got away with it early, but it was more their rhythm. It seemed like the game was going 100 miles per hour, and it got to us late. We’ve got to learn to slow it down.”

St. Thomas freshman shines in loss

McClure was a one-man wrecking crew for the Division III Saints as they gave Division I Dover all it could handle. McClure started the game by knocking down open jump shots, and when Dover tried to close out on him, he attacked the basket with reckless abandon, leading to 20 points on the day.

“He’s a special player,” said Morrisette. “He has things to learn still, but he's a special player. He can play anywhere. I’m glad he’s at St. Thomas. (Dover) had to get really physical to get him off kilter, and how many freshmen do teams have to do that to?"

McClure wasn’t afraid to take the final shot, and although it came up short, he left a mark on the tournament, and an impression on Fennessy.

“He's very good,” Fennessy said. ”He’s not just a shooter. He has good ball skills, and he gave us fits.”

Cady, Jabre set the tone for Dover

Cady came out firing, and Jabre set the tone late. Cady’s big offensive night fueled the Green Wave, while Jabre packed the stat sheet, including three steals in the fourth quarter.

“I try to set the tone,” Jabre said. “(Wednesday) I did it with offense, and today I did it with defense and rebounding. That’s the player I am. I try to do whatever it takes to win.”

Cady said the key to his success was letting the play come to him, and not forcing anything offensively.

“I just had to play within the system we have, and take the open shots when I get them,” Cady said. “We just have to play within our system and take the shots when they come, and thankfully today I hit them.”

St. Thomas takes pride in strong showing

In a tournament where the Saints were a minute away from taking down three different Division I opponents, Morrisette said there is plenty of reason for hope as the Saints enter the remainder of their Division III schedule. However, he cautioned there is still plenty of work to do.

“A lot of people say Christmas tournaments aren't important,” Morrisette said. “I disagree. At the end of the year, you’ve got to win three tough games to win a championship. We’ve got a good high school basketball team, regardless of division. This was a good opportunity for us to learn some things and prepare for the rest of the season. We still have work to do, but we have a lot to build off of.”

Mollica said the team had a chance to grow a lot by playing in the holiday tournament, and hopes they can continue to build off their strong showing this week.

“We won two games early, against other good teams,” said Mollica. “Dover got a little physical with us, and we’ve got to learn how to get physical back. They got in our shirts. They were pests, and we didn’t bounce back. We’ll practice that. We’ll get better.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Dover boys beat St Thomas in Oyster River Holiday Classic championship