AUGUSTA — As a player at Mt. Blue High School, Mike Adams never beat Lawrence. But as head coach of the Edward Little boys' basketball team, Adams picked up the biggest win of his career against the Bulldogs.

Adams’ top-seeded Red Eddies earned their first trip to the Class A state championship game in 52 years with a 58-50 win against 10th-seeded Lawrence at the Augusta Civic Center. Edward Little (19-2) will face the winner of today’s Western Maine final between Portland and Thornton next Saturday night at the Augusta Civic Center.

It took Edward Little all 32 minutes to keep from becoming the fourth victim of upset-minded Lawrence (12-10).

The Eddies had leads of 10 and nine points in the first half and another nine-point lead in the third quarter, but Lawrence rallied back each time. Bobby Belanger hit a pair of free throws with 2:52 left to pull Lawrence within 49-48.

Consecutive layups by James Philbrook, who had game-highs of 18 points and 11 rebounds, pushed Edward Little’s lead to 53-48. Brooks Spaulding scored for Lawrence, but Shane Cirello hit seven foul shots in the final 48 seconds to secure the win for the Eddies.

“The kids ran out of gas. We gave it everything we had,” Lawrence Coach Mike McGee said.

“There’s no shame in losing to them. ... I’m drained. I’m running on fumes. I can’t imagine what the kids are. I’m just coaching.”

Throughout the game, Edward Little exploited its size advantage. The Red Eddies grabbed 18 offensive rebounds, and their focus on the inside game helped put the Bulldogs in foul trouble. Leading scorers Spaulding and Matt Perkins and key reserve Christian Powers each had three fouls in the first half.

Perkins fouled out with 6:41 remaining after scoring 11 points.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” Philbrook said. “We were looking to get it down low.”

Added McGee: “When (Perkins) goes out, we’re not the same team. That was a crusher.”

Trailing 19-10 midway through the second quarter, Lawrence closed the gap with a six-point possession. Cirello was hit with a technical foul after fouling Perkins in the act of shooting. Perkins made his two free throws, and Ben Violette sank the technical shots. Belanger was fouled while shooting on the ensuing possession and hit both shots to make it 19-16.

“That could’ve been a turning point in the game,” Adams said.

Violette hit a 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 24-23 lead with 2:27 to play in the first half. The Eddies rallied to take a 27-24 lead into the break, and led 41-32 before Lawrence scored the last seven points of the third quarter.

Cirello finished with 15 points for the Eddies, and Corey Therriault added 10.

Therriault was given the Al Halladay Award as the tournament’s most valuable player.