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What was an otherwise exciting and successful winter for both Harvey’s boys and girls basketball teams, the season ended on a bit of a sour note for both squads Wednesday, March 4, as the boys fell to Gann Academy, 57-52 and the girls lost to Berwick Academy 64-38 in the opening round of the NEPSAC Championship Tournament.

After winning their second straight HVAL championship Monday, March 2, the boys looked to also capture their second-straight NEPSAC Class C title, starting with their quarterfinal matchup against Gann Academy. Entering the tourney, Harvey was the No.6 seed while Gann was the No.3.

Harvey jumped out to a 19-6 lead on the strength of a 12-0 run that made for an exciting two-minute stretch. But Harvey went cold and Gann got hot to trim the Cavs’ lead to just two points, 21-19. Harvey seemed to get back on track when sophomore guard Darron Yelling hit a 3-pointer which seemed to ignite the offense to build up the lead to eight points by halftime when the Cavs led 32-24. Yelling collected all 13 of his points in the first half.

In the second half, a resurgent Gann offense saw the hosts grab a three-point lead, 40-37 at the 10 minute mark. Back-to-back baskets by Harvey’s two senior captains, Piotr Pajewski and Cam Spruils put the Cavs back up, 41-40. It would turn out to be the last lead Harvey would have in the game as Gann outscored the Cavs 16-12 to win the game and gain the right to advance to the NEPSAC semifinals.

Spruils finished with 21 points to lead Harvey in scoring in his final game as a Cavalier. Yelling had 13. Pajewski, also playing his final game for Harvey, had 11 points. Guard Wyatt Bland in his final appearance in a Harvey uniform contributed seven points, and sophomore guard Gavin Botoff chipped in two points.

Commenting on the season-ending loss, Harvey’s head coach Denis Arnautovic said, “Our team deserves all the praise for a great season. We have gone through a lot this year, and despite all the obstacles, we managed to win a championship and qualify for the NEPSAC tournament.” Assistant Coach Connor Welles added: “We want to thank our entire program, from our returning seniors to our youngest freshman, for giving us everything they had this season. It was a pleasure to watch them grow and develop.”

The boys finish the season with an overall record of 15-6 (11-1 against HVAL opponents). 

In the girls NEPSAC quarterfinal, Harvey, with the No.6 seed, went up against the No.3 Berwick Bulldogs from South Berwick, Maine. The Cavs fell behind early as Berwick built up a 32-20 half time lead and then went on to outscore the Cavaliers 32-18 the rest of the way.

The Harvey girls finished with an impressive overall record of 14-7. They were the 2025-26 HVAL championship runner-up.