Andy Bedard, who set the Maine high school basketball scene on fire last season as a junior while leading Mountain Valley High School to the state Class B championship, is going to attend Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield this fall.

Bedard will be a high school senior and will play for Coach Max Good’s Postgrad team which features some of the top prep players in the country. Bedard has been accepted at MCI, according to athletic director Wally Covell.

Bedard confirmed his decision Tuesday night in a telephone interview from Winston-Salem, N.C., where he is playing with the Maine 17-and-under team in the AAU National Tournament.

“It was a tough decision because of my coaches and the people around my area,” said Bedard, who played at Mountain Valley in Rumford for three seasons. “But as far as the competition and what it will do for me in the long term, it was really easy to decide.”

Bedard said the overall competition he will face on a daily basis was a big reason for the transfer.

“It’ll make me better,” he said. “I’m going to be playing point guard down there and that will really help when it comes time for college.”

Bedard said he began thinking about changing schools following his junior season. He played a few all-star games with MCI player Luther Clay and got to know a few of the other players.

After looking closer at the school, Bedard decided to apply.

Good said his team is getting one of those “special” players.

“He’s a special kid and he’s a special talent,” said Good. “In the five years I’ve been here, he’s surely the finest (Maine high school) player I’ve seen. I’ve talked to other people, coaches and longtime followers of the game, and, based on normal projections, he might be the best player to ever come out of the state.”

Bedard, who was an overwhelming Bangor Daily News first team All-Maine selection, averaged 31.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 4.5 steals last season while leading Mountain Valley to the state title.

During the postseason, he upped his scoring average to 42 ppg – including a tourney-record 53 points in the state-final victory over Camden-Rockport.