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Machias men edge EMCC in first round of playoffs

Erick Andrews and Elvis Nunez of Machias defend De'Anthony McCormick of EMCC in the first round of the Elite Eight Tournament Friday night.
Erick Andrews and Elvis Nunez of Machias defend De'Anthony McCormick of EMCC in the first round of the Elite Eight Tournament Friday night.

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine – University of Maine Machias Senior Guard AC Ford (Glendale, Ariz.) hit a pair of free throws with 0.5 seconds remaining to help the Clippers edge Eastern Maine Community College 69-67 Friday night in the opening round of the Yankee Small College Conference Elite Eight Tournament at Southern Maine Community College.

Ford’s free throws put the Clippers in front in a game where EMCC took the lead with four seconds remaining, on a pair of free throws by the Eagle’s De’Anthony McCormick, whose buckets from the charity stripe tied the game at 67 all in the last five seconds of play.

This game included four ties and 12 lead changes, with EMCC holding a ten point lead half-way through the first half, and Machias padding a ten point lead with just over seven minutes to go in regulation.
The Clippers trailed the Eagles in virtually every category, with the exception of points off the bench, as Machias netted 24 points, to EMCC’s 14. Machias was led off the bench by Erick Andrews, who scored ten points for head coach Brac Brady’s team, while Elvis Nunez kicked in eight points from reserves.
Machias was led by Elias Gutierrez, who scored a game-high 19 points, while the Eagles were led by McCormick, who scored 18 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Also in double-digits for Machias was Floyd Higgins with 13 points, while Cote Card also had 13 points for EMCC.  

Machias will face the winner of the Central Maine Community College, who defeated Vermont Tech in the quarterfinals.