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AUGUSTA – Tim Stammen picked the biggest moment of his high school basketball career to stand tallest.
His 29-point, six-rebound effort in Camden Hills of Rockport’s 66-63 overtime win over Gorham in the Class B boys basketball state final Saturday night was just part of the story.
The 6-foot-3 senior shook off any late-game fatigue to score nine points in overtime, making his only two shots from the field – one a 3-pointer – and all four of his free throws.
“Coming into overtime they definitely had the momentum,” said Camden Hills guard Jamey Davis, “but Timmy stepped it up and we all fed off him.”
“I took what came to me, and at the same time I think I took it upon myself to step up, but none of that could have happened without my teammates,” added Stammen, an All-Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference first-team choice.
Stammen also had the biggest defensive assignment of the night, guarding 6-4 Gorham star Ben Thayer, a two-time All-Western Maine Conference first-teamer. Thayer finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds, but shot just 6 of 23 from the field.
“It definitely was a tough game, especially guarding someone as good as Ben,” said Stammen, whose dad, Tom, is a Camden Hills assistant coach.
This marked Stammen’s second big performance in a state final against Gorham. As a freshman, Stammen scored nine points when Camden Hills rallied past the Rams 63-60 in the 2002 championship game.
“I think he’s just an outstanding player on a great team,” said Gorham coach Kevin Jenkins. “He stays within himself, takes big shots and makes big shots, and really he’s the glue of that group. They’ve got several other good players, but they can get a little out of control at times, and he’s the one that kind of keeps them together.”
Injury benches Rams’ MacKenzie
Gorham’s championship aspirations took a hit with 14.4 seconds left in the first quarter when 6-foot-2 center John MacKenzie suffered a left shoulder injury when he went to the floor to grab a loose ball.
MacKenzie immediately grabbed the shoulder, and once he got up was taken to the locker room. He returned to the court midway through the second quarter, his shoulder heavily wrapped.
MacKenzie had scored four points and grabbed five rebounds before his injury.
“It was too bad to lose John because it looked like he was ready for a monster night,” said Gorham coach Kevin Jenkins. “He’s really a high-energy guy for us.”
Camden Hills coach Jeff Hart also felt sympathy for MacKenzie.
“I really felt bad for him, because like everybody else he worked hard to get here,” Hart said. “He’s that blue-collar type of player. He’s to them what Cameron Puls is to us.”
Josh Tanguay, a 6-3 junior, replaced MacKenzie for Gorham and contributed six points and a game-high 12 rebounds, but the absence of McKenzie hurt the Rams’ substitution pattern.
“Anything that throws you off against an undefeated team makes it tough,” said Jenkins. “We needed some breaks, and we didn’t seem to get any.”
Gorham to leave ‘B’ ranks
Gorham’s move to the Class A Southern Maine Activities Association next year will mark the end of an impressive run through the Class B ranks for the Rams.
Gorham has won four state championships since reclassification in 1961. The Rams edged Orono 68-67 in 1963, topped Hampden Academy 59-44 in 1982, bested Orono 68-49 in 1996 and stopped Hermon 74-52 in 2000.
The Rams also made seven other appearances in the state final, and were the Western B representative five of the last six years – going 1-4 during that span.
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