AUGUSTA- The Bangor Christian Patriots used another solid defensive effort, and outscored Valley 23-9 in the third quarter on Saturday afternoon to win their first ever Class D Boys Basketball State Championship 44-31 at the Augusta Civic Center.
It was a slow paced first half with not alot of offense. Bangor Christian had the biggest lead of five on a three-pointer by Jalen Reed at 12-7 in the second quarter, before a pair of three-pointers from Harry Louis pushed Valley in front 13-12 at the break. The Patriots really bottled up the top scorers of the Cavaliers in Louis and Fisher Tewksbury, with freshman Rajon Reed guarding Louis and the senior Jalen Reed keeping Tewksbury in check. They took control with that defensive effort in the third quarter, recording five steals as a team and sparking their offense in taking over the lead for good. BC scored the first seven points of the period on a jumper by Jalen Reed, a steal and layup by Rajon Reed, and then a three-point play by Rajon Reed after a steal by Conrad Straubel to make it 19-13. Jalen Reed (9), Rajon Reed (7), and Elliot Straubel (5) combined for 21 of their 23 points in the quarter to turn a one point deficit into a 13 point advantage. Valley would only get as close as nine in the final eight minutes, and the Patriots hit a total of six free throws down the stretch to ice it.
Louis led Valley in the defeat with 14 points (4 three-pointers), but only had five of those points in the second half. Tewksbury added eight points and seven rebounds. The Cavaliers, who were looking for their eighth state title in 13 tries and first since 2016, finish a great season as the runner-up at 17-5. Jalen Reed had a game-high 18 points in the win for Bangor Christian. He also added six rebounds and two steals and hit 4 three-pointers. Rajon Reed contributed 13 points, six rebounds, five steals, and three blocked shots. Elliot Straubel and Jesse Booker also chipped in with seven and five points respectively. Booker dished out six assists. They had a total of 12 team steals, helping to slow down another high-powered offense for a second straight game. Bangor Christian allowed just 56 points to Schenck and Valley combined over the final two tournament contests. The Patriots, who finish 19-3, win their first gold basketball in their fourth appearance in a state final (lost 1979, 2002, 2003). It is also the first basketball state championship in the history of the school.
Stats by Gabe Nason/Recap and photo by Chris Lessner
