Bangor boys, Cony girls take titles> Perennial basketball powers advance to Saturday’s state championships

Perennial powers took familiar places atop the Class A basketball heap Saturday night as the top-seeded Bangor boys and Cony of Augusta girls earned Eastern Maine high school titles in games held at the Bangor Auditiorium.

The No. 1 teams won titles in Western Maine as well, setting up showdowns of the big schools’ best at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Saturday’s state championship games.

Bangor senior Richie Day nailed a six-foot jump shot with 19 seconds left to break a 48-48 tie and the Rams held on to earn their fourth regional boys basketball title in five years with a 52-49 decision over No. 3 Old Town.

The Cony girls got 21 points from senior star Amy Vachon and 12 from both Christine Huber and Janet Riese in turning back No. 6 Presque Isle 58-42. The title is Cony’s second straight and fifth in the past 10 years.

Bangor, 19-2, will face undefeated Western Maine champ Westbrook, 21-0, for the state championship Saturday at approximately 9 p.m. at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland. The Blue Blazes cruised to their second Western title in three years, downing South Portland 52-35.

They will face the defending state champion Rams, who also won a state crown in 1993.

The girls state title matchup, to be played at 7:07 p.m. Saturday, will provide a rematch of last year’s championship game between Cony and Westbrook. The Blazes, behind senior standout Bri Fecteau, mauled Kennebunk 57-19 in the Western A championship game Saturday. Cony dropped Westbrook 66-55 to win the 1995 championship.