DURHAM – Sophomore guard Andrew Fitzgerald dominated the first half and senior guard Evan Berkeley took over down the stretch as Pembroke Academy (19-2) won its first state title since 2019 with a 63-54 win over Sanborn (17-5) in the Division II title game Sunday at UNH’s Lundholm Gym.

Fitzgerald did it all for the Spartans with a mix of 3-pointers and pull-up jumpers. He finished the game with a team-high 26 points and 11 rebounds. Division II Player of the Year Berkeley, who was in danger of fouling out for much of the fourth quarter, dominated on both offense and defense late in the game, finishing with 15 points and four assists.

“It’s everything I dreamed of. I remember coming here sophomore year, hitting a three on the big stage. But we took a loss, a hard loss that night, and I remember I saved the video from then. I was like, ‘Don’t ever let yourself feel this way ... you gotta go out with a win.’ So we did my senior year and I couldn’t be more happy,” Berkeley said.

Teammate Devin Riel agreed.

“It was heartbreaking last year,” added Riel, a senior forward. “I mean, losing to Hanover in the final four, it hurt a lot. It really built something in me, and then the team and we all just stepped over the summer.”

While Pembroke fell in the finals and semifinals in recent years, Fitzgerald didn’t have to wait as long for a taste of his first state crown.

“It felt amazing. It felt even better to be on the biggest stage in the state, so it was awesome,” said Fitzgerald. “We work so hard day in and day out. So we just keep doing that and we’ll stay with it. I got two more (years) left. I want to win two more.”

Pembroke sophomore forward Javien Sinclair held Sanborn star senior forward Dylan Rego, who was averaging 23 points per game this season, to just four points. PA junior Zac Bemis had 11 points, rebounded well and played good defense against bigger Sanborn players.

The victory caps a successful year on the court and a trying year off it.

In April, Pembroke Academy head coach Mike Donnell was diagnosed with cancer but continued coaching as much as he could through the illness and chemotherapy. He was recently declared cancer-free, and since then he’s poured his full energy into his team.

After the game, he commended his assistant coach, Jim Cilley, who was there for the team even during the toughest of Donnell’s days.

“I told a lot of people, I told my wife, who I absolutely love to death, is that this is my disease and the recovery from it has inspired me. You know, I can’t wait for next year,” Donnell explained.

It was that backdrop of anticipation and emotion that greeted the Spartans when they walked into the UNH gym on Sunday.

Fans welcomed the team with a standing ovation an hour before tipoff. The pre-game environment in Lundholm was electrifying as classic rock blared over the speakers. Donnell walked up to the fans during warmups to rile the crowd up, many of whom were clad in Spartan green.

Pembroke got right to business, junior guard Bemis opening the scoring with a corner 3-pointer assisted by Berkeley. All of Pembroke’s starters had a part to play in the offense and the Spartans moved the ball well, but Sanborn stayed steady to keep the score close. Berkeley got to the line four times in the first quarter and led the team with six points.

Even though the Spartans led through most of the first period, guard Jesse Cavallo got two steals toward the end of the quarter and went on the fast break, which put Sanborn ahead by two points. After a missed shot from the corner, it seemed like the Spartans might fight to regain a lead in the second quarter, but Sinclair instead got a steal in the paint and went right up with it to even the score, 16-16, at the period break.

Fitzgerald turned it up for the Spartans in the second quarter and scored 17 of Pembroke’s 19 points, including three 3-pointers, to keep the top seed ahead. In the first half, Fitzgerald made eight of his 11 shots.

It was a battle for Pembroke, which struggled against Sanborn’s half-court defense, but the Spartans managed to go into the half ahead by two points thanks to Fitzgerald’s hot shooting.

His energy began to spread to his teammates as Bemis, Berkeley and Riel found their form to start the second half with an 11-3 run. Sanborn senior forward Chase Frizzell was effective at driving into the paint, scoring 10 points in the third quarter to keep his team in the game.

Berkeley picked up his fourth foul with seven minutes remaining in the fourth period, and Frizzell continued his hot streak to score five points quickly and put the Indians within three points of Pembroke, 52-49, with 6½ minutes to go.

Berkeley stayed in the game despite the foul trouble and continued to play tough defense while pushing the pace on offense. He scored four quick points and senior forward Zac Bemis added three, assisted by Berkeley, to put Pembroke ahead by 10.

“They weren’t going to be denied; they were not going to be denied this year. I feel like I’m floating right now. It’s just, it’s exciting,” Donnell said.

Alexander Rapp can be reached at arapp@cmonitor.com.