Junior class key for Deering Transfer student Strong helped lift Rams into state final

BANGOR – Deering High School of Portland was perceived to be a year away from state championship contention when the 2004-05 season began.

The Rams had just one senior on its roster, and were coming off a 7-12 campaign that ended with a loss in the 2004 Western Maine Class A preliminary round.

But the addition of a crosstown transfer student and a rapidly maturing junior class sped up the developmental curve, and as a result Deering will be playing in the Class A state final for the third time in five years Saturday when the Rams face Hampden Academy in a 3:05 p.m. start at the Bangor Auditorium.

Deering, the No. 3 seed in this year’s Western A field, advanced with three tournament victories by a total of 11 points, including a 57-54 semifinal victory over No. 2 Portland and a 45-42 win over Cheverus of Portland in Monday’s regional final. Portland and Cheverus each defeated 17-4 Deering twice during the regular season, the Rams’ only losses.

Third-year coach Dan LeGage’s club is led by 6-foot-2 junior guard Carlos Strong and 6-6 junior center Martin Cleveland. Strong, a transfer from Cheverus, led the Southern Maine Activities Association in scoring with 18.5 points per game during the regular season to go with 3.3 steals and 3.1 assists. The first-team All-SMAA pick went on to average 15.7 points en route to being named most valuable player of the Western A tournament.

Cleveland, a second-team All-SMAA choice, ranked fifth among conference scorers at 14.7 points per game.

Deering, which brings a seven-game winning streak into the state final, also features 6-3 junior forward Tim Miller (an All-SMAA honorable mention choice), 6-4 senior forward Josh Stowell, 5-7 sophomore guard Pat Plourd and 6-0 junior guard Eric Lelansky, one of the team’s top 3-point shooting threats.

Like Hampden, Deering is seeking its first state title.

The Rams hope for a better fate than the last time it played in Bangor, in the 2001 state final when Joe Campbell redirected a Hail Mary shot by teammate Zak Ray into the basket as time expired to give Bangor a 57-56 victory over a Deering team led by current University of Maryland star Nik Caner-Medley and the 2001 Mr. Maine Basketball, Jamaal Catarina.

Deering also reached the state final in 2002, but was routed by undefeated Brunswick 83-61.