Gardiner put three players in double figures led by Brady Atwater on Friday night, as they knocked off top seeded Cony 80-71 in the Class B boys regional championship game played at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
The Tigers raced out to a sizeable first half lead and had a 45-35 edge at the break. Parker Morin got into foul trouble in the first 16 minutes and had to go to the bench in the second quarter, but freshman Carter Braithwaite was able to keep Cony in the game. They got within five in the second half, but Gardiner was just too much as they shot 53% from the floor and nailed 11 three-pointers as a team in the victory. Brady Atwater had a team-high 27 points (four 3-pointers) in the win, while adding eight rebounds and four assists. Brady Peacock contributed 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Trace Moody also put in 12 points (four 3-pointers), Nick McKay had eight, and Colin McCormick chipped in seven points. The Tigers (18-3) win their first regional championship since 2012, and will try to win their first gold ball when they take on South Champion Yarmouth (17-4) in the Class B boys state championship game in Bangor next Friday at 7:45 p.m. Braithwaite had a game-high 32 points for Cony (18 in second quarter), while contributing six rebounds and five assists. Morin finished with 16 points (14 in the second half), six rebounds, and four blocked shots. Jackson Kay also had 11 points, as the Rams end their season as regional runner-up with a record of 18-3.
