AUGUSTA -- In the program, Central Aroostook junior guard Manny Martinez is listed at 5 foot 7. That listing is only slightly generous, Martinez said.
"I'm almost 5-7," Martinez said. "I'm not sure."
Years from now, when people tell the story of the 2008 Class D boys basketball state championship, they'll make Martinez even shorter. They'll tell how the 5-6, or maybe 5-5 Martinez made a layup in the final second, shooting over Richmond's 6-10 Marc Zaharchuk to give Central Aroostook a 54-53 win.
Heck, make it the 5-4 Martinez. The more he shrinks, the more his legend grows.
After Zaharchuk scored with 15 seconds left to give the Bobcats a 53-52 lead, the Panthers called timeout with eight seconds left to set up the final play.
Martinez drove the baseline, and when Zaharchuk came over to defend, Martinez did the only thing he could. He lofted a rainbow shot over the big man, kissing the ball high off the glass and in.
"We had two screens up top, and we knew they were going to key on Cameron (York), so Cameron came across, they had him guarded. (Panthers coach Tim Brewer) said if you can't get it to Cam, just take it to the hole," Martinez said. "I had an open lane, Zaharchuk came out and it was one-on-one.
"I was just thinking shoot the ball with confidence and hope it goes in. The guy is like, huge, and I barely got it over him."
Central Aroostook coach Tim Brewer said Martinez was the first option all along.
"That was exactly what we drew up. What we did, we used Cam as a decoy coming over the top with the two screens, and we used the same two screens for Manny," Brewer said. "When he turned the corner he had a good look, and Zaharchuk was a little late getting over."
Added Richmond coach Paul Lancaster: "I thought they would try to get to York. Obviously, we wanted to defend all their players. We talked about switching on the screens. The Martinez kid's just a great player. He can dribble penetrate, shoot the three.
"The kid made a great shot."
It was the last of many big shots for Martinez in the game. The junior kept his team in the game in the first half. Martinez scored 13 of his game-high 20 points in the first half, eight in the first quarter. With the Bobcats focusing on York, Martinez was able to hit wide open shots, including three 3-pointers in the first half.
"We've got to make them pay for keying on our one player, so that's what we did," Martinez said.
Martinez said he draws inspiration from his older brother, Erick, who was a member of Central Aroostook's state championship teams in 2006 and 2007 and who is now an assistant coach with the Panthers.
"He's like, you've got to try as hard as you can out there. He knows how to win so he showed us how to get it done," Martinez said.
When it was over, and the Gold Ball had been handed over, the Central Aroostook players lifted Martinez onto their shoulders and carried their small hero to midcourt. Only fitting, because he'd carried them throughout the game.
Travis Lazarczyk -- 861-9242
tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com
Reader comments
Click here to view or add comments on this story
Were you interviewed for this story? If so, please fill out our accuracy form