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BANGOR – In a matchup of two of the top post players in Eastern Maine, a 6-foot-3 forward proved to be the catalyst as No. 2 Skowhegan rallied in the third quarter for a 57-47 Eastern Maine Class A semifinal victory over No. 6 Caribou Friday night.
Matthiah Larkin scored 11 points for the Indians in the win, but more significantly he held 6-5 James Sam to 3-for-19 shooting from the Bangor Auditorium floor, while Skowhegan’s own big man poured in 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the win.
“Matthiah Larkin did a great job on him,” Skowhegan coach Larry Judd said. “Everyone questioned whether he could handle the size. We played a couple of diamond-and-1 situations at him, to try to fatigue him, but Larkin did a great job.”
The Indians’ 6-4 forward Ryan Kelley, who scored 10 points in the third quarter, will get a look at another big-time post player in the Eastern Maine final when Skowhegan meets Joe Campbell and No. 1 Bangor after the girls game at the Auditorium Saturday night.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Kelley said. “I know [Campbell is] a tough player and we’ll see what happens.”
The Rams topped No. 5 Nokomis of Newport in the early semifinal 74-54.
The Vikings, meanwhile, wrap up not only their season but the end of an era. Caribou (14-7) moves down to Class B next year and 22-year coach Jim Carter is retiring.
Kelley was the spark in the third quarter as the Indians came back from a 28-22 Caribou lead, and Viking foul trouble made it easier for him to work inside.
Derek Holt started the comeback with a hoop off a pass from Larkin, then Kelley put in two straight layups to tie the game at 28-28. Holt stole the ball on Caribou’s next possession, which eventually put Kelley at the free-throw line. He made both shots to take the lead for good.
Holt scored off a steal, and after Caribou’s Matt Nason hit a free throw, Skowhegan’s Sam Hight made a long jumper and Kelley put in another basket to give the Indians a 36-29 advantage with 1:38 left in the quarter.
Sam, meanwhile, had been whistled for his fourth foul with 4:01 left in the quarter.
“We knew they were weak post-defensively inside so we came out in the second half trying to pound the ball inside and do what we could do,” Kelley said. “We just kept with our game plan, knew we could come out with a win.”
Earlier in the game it was Caribou that rallied to take a lead at the half. Skowhegan jumped out in the first quarter and had a 19-10 advantage in the second when the Vikes converted Indian turnovers into a 20-19 Caribou lead. Six-for-eight free-throw shooting in the quarter helped lengthen the lead to 26-22.
“We started off horribly and dug ourselves a hole and didn’t shoot well,” Carter said. “But we dug deep, got some turnovers, and got ourselves up by six in the third quarter. … I’ve admired the way my kids have played all year. We’ve dug ourselves in some holes and come back.”
B.J. Dunlap added 11 points for Skowhegan.
Caribou’s Joel Griffeth poured in a game-high 21 points, including nine in the fourth quarter while he played with four fouls. Sam scored 13, including a 7-for-7 shooting effort from the free-throw line, but made just three field goals. He also had 11 rebounds.
“James got shots but I think his percentage was horrible,” Carter said. “I looked at halftime and I wasn’t displeased with the number of shots he got.”
Indians 57, Vikings 47
Caribou boys (14-7) Skowhegan (18-2)
Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG F AF TP
J.Cyr 2 6 0 0 4 Wacome 0 0 0 0
Noyes 0 2 0 0 0 Hight 1 2 0 2
Nadeau 0 0 0 0 0 Larkin 4 12 3 11
Nason 0 3 1 2 1 Brod 0 0 0 0
Griffeth 8 15 5 7 21 Clark 0 0 0
Sam 3 19 7 7 13 Holt 2 10 0 4
Giles 3 6 2 2 8 Dunlap 5 8 0 10
Walker 4 12 2 11
Anzelc 0 0 0 0
Kelley 8 15 3 19
Totals 16 51 15 18 47 Totals 24 59 8 11 57
Caribou 8 26 32 47
Skowhegan 14 22 38 57
3-pt. goals: Caribou (0-6): J. Cyr 0-2, Griffeth 0-2, Sam 0-2; Skowhegan (1-10): Walker 1-6, Dunlap 0-1, Holt 0-3
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