BANGOR — Some basketball state championship games, like heavyweight title fights, are a clash of styles. Other than greatness and a desire to be the best in the business, there aren’t many common denominators linking the combatants.
That’s far from the case as Dirigo and Calais get set to battle in the Class C boys’ title game Saturday night at Cross Insurance Center. On the surface, at least, the finalists might feel as if they’re gazing into a mirror.
Both teams are 19-2. Each wears blue and white. They enter the game riding the crest of two lengthy winning streaks — Dirigo, 14 consecutive wins; Calais, 12 in succession. Commitment to conditioning and pressure defense lit the fuse as the regional champions ripped open tight games in the second half, and in Calais’ case, overtime, throughout school vacation week.
And to top it all, Dirigo will play in its fifth Class C final since 2009 and Calais its fifth since 2006 when the game tips off at around 9 p.m.
“They just kept getting better and better and better,” Dirigo coach Travis Magnusson said of his team. “There was no quit in them, and we’ve won 14 in a row now. I’m really proud of the way we’ve improved.”
One subtle difference is that Dirigo flaunts the star in 6-foot-2 junior swingman Riley Robinson, who averaged 21.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game in the Western tournament. A different player led Calais in scoring each round of the East bracket: Andre Paul in the quarterfinals; Travon Rhodes in the semis; and Tyler Niles in the final.
Don’t underestimate the rest of the Cougars, however. Clay Swett joined Robinson as a first-team MVC all-star. Kaine Hutchins is a lights-out 3-point shooter and one of the few players in Dirigo history to log both 500 points and 500 rebounds. Gavin Arsenault’s thievery and quickness consistently fuels the fast break.
“A lot of people put the focus on Riley, but we’ve got a lot of guys who can score,” Magnusson said. “We got the job done. We made big shot after big shot.”
The poster player for Dirigo’s team mentality and tireless work ethic is Tyler Frost, a relentless, 5-foot-9, 235-pound guard whose propensity to dive after loose balls and draw offensive fouls ignites his fans and teammates at every turn.
“Someone my size working that hard, it’s some tough. With such great teammates, it’s all worth it,” Frost said. “My freshman year, that senior group was so close. The last couple years I’ve just wanted to get the guys going and get to that level and keep winning. Hopefully with one more win, that would get another trophy coming back to Dirigo.”
Dirigo defeated Lee Academy in 2012 for the third state title in school history. That followed three consecutive losses in the final, a streak that began with a 40-39 loss to Calais at since-demolished Bangor Auditorium in 2009.
That marked Calais’ fourth consecutive appearance in the final and its third title in four seasons.
Since then, the Blue Devils have a new coach, Chris Woodside, and a predisposition to full-court zone pressure. They gave up 42 points to Lee, 52 to Central and 57 in an OT victory over Orono for the EM championship.
Paul, Niles, Kyle Johnson and Nathan Newell are senior starters for Calais. Sophomore Rhodes and freshmen Zach Lola and Matt Perkins also play substantial roles. Those seven have seen a bulk of the Devils’ minutes in the tournament.
That suggests another difference between the teams that could give the Cougars an edge. Dirigo has reaped big minutes off the bench from a variety of players throughout the season, most notably seniors Joe Casey and Nick St. Germain, sophomore Gavin Hebert and freshmen Luke Lueders and Cooper Chiasson.
“Mostly I just play defense, because Coach knows that’s my strong suit. I just go in there and work my heart out,” Casey said. “We don’t want to get in foul trouble, so we want to utilize our defensive players, and I’m one of them.”
Rebounding and defense were a struggle the past two years, relegating Dirigo to relatively early exits in the WM semifinals.
Swett, Robinson and Hutchins did yeoman work on the boards throughout the playoffs, and Dirigo surrendered only 44 points per game in dispatching Old Orchard Beach, Waynflete and Maranacook.
Since Jan. 9, only two Dirigo opponents have topped 50.
“We’re so much better defensively this year. It’s unbelievable,” Magnusson said. “We get our stops, and then we run. Where we’ve struggled is when we’ve stopped running, when we kind of walk it up. When we get it out and going, we’re pretty good. That was one of the keys (in the regional tournament). We’ve got to get stops to do that.”
koakes@sunjournal.com
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