Mercier’s 31 Lifts Seawolves Past No. 1 CMCC

AUBURN, Maine -The fourth-seeded Southern Maine Community College men's basketball team delivered a statement performance Saturday afternoon, knocking off top-seeded Central Maine Community College, 82-68, in the YSCC Semifinals at Kirk Hall. Behind a 31-point effort from freshman guard Chance Mercier (Ellsworth, Maine), the Seawolves used a second-half surge and perimeter shooting to secure their spot in the YSCC Championship.

HOW IT HAPPENED

CMCC opened the game strong, building an early seven-point advantage midway through the first half. After trailing 17-12, Chance Mercier sparked a run - drilling a three-pointer at the 8:08 mark and then converting a steal into a layup moments later to tie the game at 23-23. The Seawolves seized momentum late in the half as Danny Luna (Lowell, Mass.) knocked down a three-pointer to give SMCC its first lead, and Mercier added four straight free throws to close the half. A late bucket from CMCC trimmed the margin to 30-27 at the break in favor of SMCC.

After the break, captain Sean Bosia (Dracut, Mass.) delivered a stop for a Mercier three to push the lead to six. Moments later, another three from Mercier, followed by a transition layup, ignited a 10-2 burst that forced a CMCC timeout with SMCC ahead 40-31.

Back-to-back triples from Nathan Mugisha (Rwanda, East Africa) and Mercier extended the advantage to 45-32. With 13:36 remaining, Jace Bessey (Jay, Maine) scored inside before senior Ben Mullett (Hudson, N.H.) converted a put-back layup, stretching the lead to 49-34 -SMCC's largest margin to that point.

CMCC attempted to claw back within single digits late, trimming the deficit to 71-61 with just over four minutes remaining. But once again, the Seawolves answered.

A layup from Ellis Macea (Lawrence, Mass.) and clutch free throws from Mercier and Sam DeWitt (Hudson, N.H.) sealed the game in the final two minutes. SMCC closed the contest shooting 90% from the free-throw line, icing the upset.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Chance Mercier: 31 points (9-20 FG, 4-12 3PT, 9-10 FT), 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
• Nathan Mugisha: 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
• Ellis Macea: 12 points, 8 rebounds
• Sam DeWitt: 11 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds
• SMCC held CMCC to just 1-of-15 (6.7%) from three-point range

NEXT UP

With the victory, SMCC advances to the YSCC Championship and will face UMaine Augusta on Sunday, February 22 at 2:00 PM. The title game will be hosted at CMCC in Auburn, Maine.