There´s little reason to believe tonight´s Western Maine Class C boys championship between No. 1 Dirigo and No. 2 Winthrop won´t come down to the final play.
That´s what happened in the last two meetings, both won by Dirigo. The Cougars won when the teams met in Winthrop in the regular season after Wes Gagnon drew an offensive foul on Winthrop´s Sam Leclerc with 4.8 seconds left. Dirigo went on to win that one 48-44.
In the Mountain Valley Conference championship game earlier this month, the outcome wasn´t decided until there were 2.8 seconds left in a 59-57 Dirigo win.
"We know each other," Winthrop coach Dennis Dacus said. "It´s the same set of kids, the same type of basketball."
Basically, the Cougars would like to pound the ball inside to 6-foot-8 Thomas Knight or 6-4 Colby Knapp. When the defense doubles down on these two, they kick it to the perimeter, usually to Gagnon, for 3-point attempts.
The Ramblers rely on senior point guard Leclerc to dictate the action. The 6-foot Leclerc can create a shot for himself or his teammates.
The outcome will likely be decided on which defense can contain the other team´s go-to players. Larry Foster and Tim Gingras will guard Knight and Knapp, respectively, and both are giving away a few inches in height. They´ll have to work hard to deny entry passes.
The Cougars will need to stop Leclerc from freewheeling into the lane and dishing to teammates like Ezra Damm, Zach Farrington or Foster for 3-pointers. In last year´s semifinal loss to Boothbay, the Seahawks played a diamond-and-one defense on Leclerc and held him to single digit scoring.
"I´m prepared for any kind of funky defense they want to throw at us," Dacus said. "I learned my lesson as a young coach last year."
Dirigo avenged last season´s championship loss to Boothbay on Thursday night with an overtime win over the Seahawks. Knight fouled out in regulation, but the Cougars found a way to win when Gagnon passed to Adam Law in the corner for a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
Winthrop struggled in the first half against both Hyde and Traip to reach the finals. The Ramblers pulled away late against Hyde while they took over against Traip in the third quarter.
Gary Hawkins -- 621-5638
ghawkins@centralmaine.com
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