Camden Hills, Maranacook advance
Camden Hills and Maranacook took different routes Wednesday to the Eastern Class B boys' basketball championship game, but they succeeded in setting up a showdown between schools that have combined to win the last three regional titles.
Camden Hills needed a comeback in the fourth quarter and a basket late in overtime to get past No. 2 Presque Isle, 61-60. Then, top-ranked Maranacook unleashed a barrage of 3-pointers in the first half and was never seriously threatened in an 89-70 victory over Mattanawcook.
Camden Hills (20-1), the defending Eastern Maine champion, trailed for almost the entire game, but the Windjammers erased a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Tyler McFarland, a 6-foot-4 freshman, made a layup with nine seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
The Windjammers then built a four-point lead in overtime, only to see Presque Isle respond with a three-point play by Nathan Ackerson and a jumper by Adam Kingsbury (31 points) for a 60-59 lead with time running out.
But Dylan Smith picked the perfect time to score his only basket for Camden Hills, sinking a jumper from the right elbow with seven seconds left. Presque Isle couldn't get off a good shot on its final possession, and the Windjammers were headed to another regional final.
Maranacook (20-0) joined the Windjammers by overwhelming Mattanawcook with a record-setting display of long-range shooting. The Black Bears made 10 3-pointers in the first half and finished with 12, breaking the Class B tournament record. Ryan Martin, a semifinalist for the Mr. Basketball award, paced Maranacook with 27 points, and Devin Gerrity and Will Bardaglio each added 20.
Maranacook and Camden Hills have already had two epic battles this season, and now they'll meet for a third time on Saturday. Maranacook won 76-67 during the regular season, then lost 79-73 in overtime in the KVAC Class B championship game (which didn't count toward either team's official record).
Camden Hills, PI advance
It was a quick turnaround for Camden Hills and John Bapst as they opened the Eastern Class B boys' quarterfinals at the Bangor Auditorium less than 24 hours after posting preliminary-round victories. The short gap between games was no problem for Camden Hills, which put its depth on display in an easy 73-38 win.
Graham Safford, a 6-foot freshman guard, scored 18 points off the bench for the third-ranked Windjammers (19-1), who dominated from the start. The defending regional champions opened the game by making their first 10 shots.
Next up for Camden Hills is second-ranked Presque Isle in the regional semifinals Wednesday afternoon. Presque Isle held off Medomak Valley, 56-51, despite 29 points by Medomak's Alex Goldrup. Nate Ackerson scored 20 points and Adam Kingsbury had 16 for Presque Isle.