BANGOR, Maine – A 15-6 run to start the fourth quarter sparked the Central Aroostook boys’ varsity basketball team’s hopes in Thursday night’s Eastern Maine Class D semifinal round against Deer Isle-Stonington, but earlier miscues and mismatches proved too much to overcome. The Panthers dropped 76-63 to the Mariners, ending their run at a third state crown.
Central Aroostook opened the fourth with three three-pointers in a minute and a half span, two from senior forward Tim Carlson and one from sophomore guard Manny Martinez to cut the Mariner lead to 14 at 58-44.
Martinez proved pesky on defense tipping out a ball and picking up a steal on the other end. The Panthers slowed things down offensively but tempers flared in the post as Mariner center Collin Ciomei picked up a technical foul. Carlson made the front end of the resulting shots count and got the ball on the inbounds play.
Carlson put up the hoop and drew the hard foul from Ciomei (his fourth).
Deer Isle’s Eben Powers grabbed the rebound off the missed foul shot and converted on the other end but it was Carlson again, driving around the key, through the right side and to the hoop for the shot and foul. His free throw pulled the Panthers within 10 with 4:20 remaining.
Ciomei had the answer with a showy move at the other end, grabbing a pass in midair and putting up the shot in one movement.
Martinez added a three to pull Central Aroostook within nine but that was as close as the Panthers would get. With three minutes remaining, Central Aroostook had to foul and the Mariners hit eight of 10 attempts from the charity stripe in the final two minutes of play.
Central Aroostook’s woes started early as Deer Isle-Stonington opened with an 8-0 run behind a full-court press and an unselfish offense. The Mariners’ first three baskets came from three different players including brothers Bryant and Collin Ciomei and senior forward Shane Eaton.
The Panthers cut the lead to one behind the efforts of junior guard Cameron York, who split the defense for a layup to cut the lead to 8-4 and hit a three to cut it to 10-9 and Carlson, who picked up a bucket off a backdoor cut.
However Collin Ciomei took advantage of a defensive mismatch, which gave 5-7 Martinez duties guarding the 6-4 athlete. Martinez, for his part, stuck with Collin Ciomei, but the Mariner’s big guy took advantage of the height differential, hitting a shot and dishing out three assists in the final minute of the first half to help his team out to a 38-25 lead.
Central Aroostook switched out of a 1-3-1 zone to a man-to-man defense in the second half but still couldn’t get their offense going. Deer Isle went on a 12-3 run in the first six minutes of the third to take a 50-28 lead and withstood the Panthers’ fourth-quarter run for the win.
Leading Deer Isle-Stonington was Collin Ciomei with 23 points and seven rebounds, Eaton with 16 points and five rebounds and Bryant Ciomei with 15 points and eight rebounds. The Mariners remained undefeated Saturday as they downed Schenck 75-74 for the Eastern Maine Class D boys’ title.
Central Aroostook was led by Carlson with 19 points and six boards, York with 16 points and four rebounds and Kelly with 12 points and five rebounds. Martinez rounded out Panther players in double-figures with 11 points. Central Aroostook wraps up their season at 20-1.
