enlarge John Ewing/Staff Photographer

It’s the most cherished possession in Maine high school basketball, and it belongs to Cheverus after its victory over previously unbeaten Bangor in the Class A final Tuesday night.

enlarge John Ewing/Staff Photographer

Mick DiStasio of Cheverus leans toward the basket as he tries to drive past Adam Bernstein of Bangor. DiStasio scored 19 of his game-high 23 points in the second half, leading the Stags to a 49-41 win and a state title.

enlarge John Ewing/Staff Photographer

Doug Alston of Cheverus maneuvers past Bangor’s Billy Zolper and scores two of his 12 points during the Stags’ victory. It was Cheverus’ first state title since 1997.

Mick DiStasio came alive in the second half and brought his Cheverus teammates with him straight to the Gold Ball.

DiStasio scored 19 of his game-high 23 points after halftime as the Stags overcame a 10-point deficit to beat defending-champion Bangor 49-41 to capture the Class A state boys' basketball championship Tuesday night at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

The game was postponed Saturday because of snow.

It was Cheverus' first state title since 1997 and the eighth in school history. The Stags also ended Bangor's two-year winning streak at 31 games. It was the Rams' first loss in a state final since 1992, when South Portland won in five overtimes at the Civic Center.

"No one gave us any chance, but that's the beauty of it," said DiStasio while holding the Gold Ball. "Underdogs can come back and get the job done.

"A lot of people say we live by the 3-point shot. Well, in the first half we died by the 3-pointer, and in the second half we lived by it. We're a shooting team. My teammates got me open with some great screens."

The Stags (19-3) outscored Bangor 35-17 in the second half as their full-court press began taking its toll.

"The key to the game was that their press didn't allow us to get into our half-court offense," said Bangor Coach Roger Reed, whose Rams have won seven state finals since 1993, starting that string with a 48-43 win over Cheverus. "We got tired in the second half."

DiStasio, a junior, scored nine points in the fourth quarter. Doug Alston, who recovered from a sprained ankle suffered in the regional final, hit a 3-pointer from the side midway in the fourth quarter to give the Stags the lead for good at 37-34.

Then Bangor standout Jon McAllian couldn't finish a potential dunk on a breakaway because of the defensive effort of Indiana Faithfull, and the Stags were closer to an upset.

Lee Suvlu made two free throws for Bangor, but DiStasio buried his third 3-pointer to make it 40-36.

Despite the effectiveness of Cheverus' press, the Rams still pulled within three points with 42 seconds remaining on a drive by Suvlu, but Cheverus scored its final five points from the foul line to preserve the win.

"The beauty of Bangor being so far away was that we didn't realize they were supposed to be unbeatable," said Cheverus Coach Bob Brown.

"We finally made some shots in the second half. We changed defenses and our offensive tempo. We started making screens down low. Instead of shooting from 23 feet, we starting knocking down 15-footers.

"You could see DiStasio gaining confidence as the game went along. We didn't play a very good first half, but we played a very good second half."

McAllian closed the first half with eight straight points, including back-to-back 3-pointers to give Bangor a 24-14 lead.

He hit a basket from the corner, added a 3-pointer from the side and then capped it with a long 3-pointer from the side. He scored all of his 11 first-half points in the second quarter, but got just one in the second half.

The Stags' press bothered Bangor from the start as the Rams committed three turnovers and Cheverus took a 6-2 lead before the Rams called a timeout. The Rams settled down and tied the game on two free throws by Billy Zolper.

Cheverus got back into the game by outscoring Bangor 15-6 in the third quarter, getting 10 points from DiStasio and five from Ian Barwise.

Trailing 30-29 entering the fourth, Cheverus took its first lead since early in the game on a 3-pointer by Will White from the corner. DiStasio made sure the Stags stayed on top the rest of the way.

"Cheverus played a great second half and we didn't," said Reed. "DiStasio hit some big shots and Cheverus kept us on our heels in the second half."

Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at:
tchard@pressherald.com