The rematch many fans have anticipated has arrived as No. 1 Maranacook squares off against No. 3 Camden Hills for the Eastern B boys regional championship today at the Bangor Auditorium.
Maranacook (20-0) handed Camden Hills (19-1) its only loss of the regular season, beating the Windjammers 76-67 in Rockport. Camden Hills returned the favor by stopping the Black Bears in overtime in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B championship game.
"It's a hard one to read because both teams play similar styles," Camden Hills coach Jeff Hart said.
Both team average over 70 points a game and like to run and press. The Windjammers go 10 deep and have an overall size advantage over the Black Bears and that concerns Maranacook coach Rob Schmidt.
"We've got to keep them off the glass," Schmidt said. "They're relentless. We've really got to beat them up and down the floor and box them out."
Camden Hills has had little success in stopping Maranacook guard Ryan Martin, who scored 29 points in the first meeting and 34 in the second.
"We know what Martin's going to do," Hart said. "We just have to make sure we contain everybody else. I thought that was the difference against Mattanawcook."
The Black Bears stopped Mattanawcook in the semifinals Wednesday, 89-70, thanks in part to a record 12 3-pointers. Martin scored 27 while Will Bardaglio and Devin Gerrity added 20 points apiece. Point guard Mike Poulin is also capable of big scoring games.
The Windjammers, meanwhile, rallied to defeat Presque Isle in overtime. Christian Pieri and Gordon Fischer scored 14 points apiece while freshmen Graham Safford and Tyler McFarland scored 12 and 10 points, respectively.
"I thought we got great balance throughout the tournament," Hart said.
Junior Kiefer Lammi missed the game with a sore back but expects to play today, Hart said.
Schmidt said the loss in the KVAC game has had a positive effect on his team.
Gary Hawkins -- 621-5638
ghawkins@centralmaine.com
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