Maine High School Basketball Tournament Championship Saturday Scores + Highlights

The field is met set for the state finals next weekend as the best teams in eastern and western Maine meet in Bangor, Augusta and Portland on Saturday to decide things on the hardwood.

Orono, Calais Battle in Eastern Maine Overtime Thriller

In a back-and-forth, run-and-gun battle for four quarters and 4 minutes, the No. 1 Calais Blue Devils survived the No. 7 Orono Red Riots, coming away with a 60-57 overtime win and an Eastern Maine title.

Senior center Tyler Niles led the Blue Devils with 29 points, hitting key free throws in overtime, where he went 9 for 10 from the stripe.

Andre Paul added 13 points for the Blue Devils and Kyle Johnson, who fouled out late in the fourth quarter, had 6.

The Red Riots had a chance to tie it with 2.6 seconds left on the clock but a 3-pointer from junior guard Nate Desisto fell short.

Senior Damian Heeger led Orono with 19 points, and sophomore Keenan Collette had 17 points before fouling out in overtime. Desisto was held in check with four points.

It is the first regional championship for the Blue Devils since 2009. Calais will play Dirigo in the state finals.

Hampden Runs Away From Lewiston To Claim EM Boys Title

The Hampden Academy Broncos claimed their fourth consecutive Eastern Maine title with a 65-57 win over the Lewiston Blue Devils at the Augusta Civic Center Saturday.

Go To Game Recap

The Broncos withstood a 14-0 Lewiston run after halftime, answering it with a 13-0 run of their own, and pulling away in the fourth quarter behind junior guard Nick Gilpin, who helped salt away the victory by going 8 for 9 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.

Gilpin finished with 23 points leading the Broncos, who will return to the state championship on Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center.

Hampden led by one point after halftime, but was down by double digits after that 13-0 Lewiston run.

“When we were down, we could have folded, but we went out and got it,” Hampden coach Russ Bartlett said after the game.

The Broncos collected themselves and chipped away at the Blue Devils’ lead, overtaking Lewiston in the fourth quarter. Lewiston was able to make it a one possession game inside of three minutes, but was forced to send Hampden to the line late in the game.

Lawrence Edges Bangor Girls To Win EM Class A Title

The Lawrence Bulldogs girls took the lead in the third quarter and never gave it back on their way to a 46-42 Eastern Maine championship win over the Bangor Rams at the Augusta Civic Center on Saturday.

Go To Game Recap

Bangor was able to tie the game at 42-42 on a Sarah Bragg 3-pointer with 28 seconds to go, but 10 seconds later was answered by another 3-pointer from Lawrence’s Dominique Lewis, who had five 3-pointers in the game and finished with 16 points.

It promised to be a close game, and it was. The teams had split their regular season games and came in with identical 19-1 records.

Besides Lewis, Lawrence was aided by 10 points from Nia Irving and Morgan Boudreau had 7 points.

Bragg led Bangor with 14 points. Mary Butler had 10 points, Cordelia Stewart had 9, and sophomore Katie Butler had 7 points.

Houlton Shiretowners Outlast Dexter To Claim EM Title

The Houlton girls outlasted the Dexter Tigers Saturday night, dominating the second half on their way to an Eastern Maine title at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.

Freshman Kolleen Bouchard scored 20 points, including 8 for 8 from the free-throw line, to lead the No. 2 Shiretowners to the 46-38 win.

It was No. 4 Dexter who took the lead at the half on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from senior Tasha Pratt. But Houlton came out strong in the third quarter, going on an 8-0 run and outscoring Dexter 12-1 in the third quarter.

The Tigers did not go quietly, however, cutting the double-digit lead to just four points with just 1:20 left in the game. But Houlton responded, hitting key shots down the stretch and going seven for eight from the line in the final minutes.

Sophomore Rylee Warman had 9 points for the Shiretowners, and junior Chelsea Gentle added 7 points. Houlton has no seniors on the team.

Dexter was led by senior Michaela White with 15 points. Megan Peach, the Tigers’ sophomore center, added 7 points.

Houlton will take on Maranacook in the state finals at 7 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Center on Saturday, Feb. 28.

Fort Fairfield Boys Pull Away from No. 1 Washburn

The Fort Fairfield boys pulled away from the top-seed Washburn Beavers on Saturday, claiming the Eastern Maine Class D crown and a trip to the state finals against undefeated Forest Hills at 2:45 p.m. in Bangor next Saturday.

Photos + Recap

The No. 3 Tigers held the Beavers offense in check in the 55-41 win at the Cross Insurance Center.

Washburn held a 26-25 lead at halftime, but scored only four points in the third quarter and entered the final period down 35-30.

Senior forward Hunter Beaulieu pounded the boards in the second game of the day and scored a game high 19 points in the win. He was named player of the game.

Christopher Giberson, a sophomore, added 16 points and Robert Watson had 10.

For Washburn, senior Cameron Bragg finished his high school career with 15 points. Jarrett Olson had 11 points and Noah Caron had 10 for the Beavers.

The two teams were familiar with one another, splitting the season series.

Washburn Girls Claim 5th Straight Eastern Maine Crown

The Washburn girls claimed their fifth straight Eastern Maine title Saturday morning, pulling away from the Fort Fairfield Tigers in the second half on their way to a 58-44 win at the Cross Insurance Center.

Photos + Recap

Trailing by four points at halftime, the No. 1 Beavers (21-0) stepped up their pressure defense, turning the No. 3 Tigers over and outscoring them 24-6 in the third quarter. Washburn kept up the pressure and maintained a double digit lead until the final buzzer.

Joan Overman scored 23 points for Washburn, who will vie for what would be a record fifth-straight state championship against West champ Rangeley next Saturday in Bangor. Overman was named player of the game.

Mackenzie Worcester added 16 points for the Beavers and junior Emelia Churchill had 15 points. Junior Laina Mette had four points to round out the scoring for the Beavers.

Cross Insurance Center, Bangor

Eastern Class D Finals

#1-Washburn 58 def. #3-Fort Fairfield 44 [GIRLS]
#3-Fort Fairfield 55  def. #1-Washburn 41 [BOYS]

Eastern Class B Finals

#2-Presque Isle 47 def. #9-Gardiner 24 [GIRLS]
#1-Medomak Valley 51 def. #2-Winslow 48 [BOYS]

Eastern Class C Finals

#2-Houlton 46 def. #4-Dexter 38 [GIRLS]
#1-Calais 60 def. #7-Orono 57 [BOYS] OT

Augusta Civic Center

Western Class D Finals

#2-Rangeley 39 def. #4-Richmond 32 [GIRLS]
#1-Forest Hills 64 def. #3-Hyde 50 [BOYS]

Eastern Class A Finals

#2-Lawrence 46 def. #1-Bangor 42 [GIRLS]
#2-Hampden Academy 65 def. #4-Lewiston 57 [BOYS]

Western Class C Finals

#1-Maranacook 47 def. #3-Dirigo 37 [GIRLS] .
#2-Dirigo 68 def. #8-Maranacook 51 [BOYS]

Cross Insurance Arena, Portland

Western Class B Finals

#3-Greely 53 def. #9-Cape Elizabeth 28 [GIRLS]
#2-Cape Elizabeth 51 def. #4-Lake Region 46 [BOYS]

Western Class A Finals

#2-Thornton Academy 41 def. #1-McAuley 31 [GIRLS]
#1-Portland 57 def. #3-Falmouth 47 [BOYS].