BANGOR – Ryan Martell’s lone basket of the game late in the first quarter would be the last time the Piscataquis Community Pirates would hit any shots until the third quarter.

The tenacious Dexter Tigers outscored the Pirates of Guilford 11-0 in the second quarter to take control and hold on for a 43-36 Eastern Maine Class C quarterfinal win at the Bangor Auditorium Tuesday morning.

Dexter advances to face No. 2 George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill (15-4), a 66-38 winner over No. 7 Central of Corinth in Tuesday’s second game, in Friday’s 2:05 p.m. semifinal.

In the first game, a typical Piscataquis County defensive struggle was evident, as both teams held each other in check.

The Pirates did rally in the second half, trimming Dexter’s lead to four with 51 seconds left in the final period after Mike Wharff nailed an NBA-range 3-pointer.

Dexter would hit free throws down the stretch to salt it away.

“They have some very, very good players that we held in check for three quarters of the game,” said Dexter coach Peter Murray. “They almost rose up and stole it from us at the end. That’s a tribute to them, they’re great players.”

Dexter’s first-half run started when Nick Peirce nailed a 30-foot buzzer-beater as the first quarter expired, giving the Tigers the lead for good.

With the Pirates struggling to hit open shots and turning the ball over, the Tigers crashed the boards and were able to convert high-percentage baskets.

“We turned the ball over too many times. You can’t do that against Dexter,” Piscataquis coach Jamie Russell said. “They’re a very good defensive team. They were very physical with [Roy] Burdin.”

Peirce led a balanced Dexter scoring attack with 14 points while Ryan Martin chipped in with 10. Wharff netted 11 while Shane Tracy and Burdin had nine apiece for PCHS.

In the second game of the day, the Eagles showed off their experience with a strong first quarter and cruised.

George Stevens Academy demonstrated its balance and unselfishness early, putting all five starters in the scoring column while shooting 8-for-9 from the floor in the first quarter.

“It’s all how you start, pretty much,” said GSA senior Collin Henry. “If you get ahead and set the tempo, we can control the ball, we can pound it inside, play our game, and not play catch-up all day.”

The Eagles capitalized on their frontcourt height to bottle up the middle and their guards contained slippery Central guard Danny Kane.

“I thought Phineas Peake and Blake Wessel did a really good job on Danny Kane of keeping him from going to the basket,” said GSA coach Dwayne Carter.

With the Red Devils (12-9) shooting only 30 percent from the field, GSA also capitalized on its rebounding prowess and transition attack to get the ball up the court in a hurry.

Collin Henry was the catalyst for GSA. The 6-foot-4 forward went 8-for-11 from the floor on his way to a game-high 20 points, snared six rebounds, handed out four assists, made a steal and blocked a shot.

“We were here last year, of course, and we lost in the first round,” Henry said. “We didn’t want that to happen again.”

Senior Caleb Owen also was efficient, contributing 18 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Chaz Gray posted seven points, Peake netted six, and Sam Bridges added eight rebounds.

GSA shot 56 percent for the game and afforded the Devils only two trips to the foul line.

Central opened up in a 2-3 zone but couldn’t effectively cover GSA’s perimeter shooters. Once the Devils went man-to-man, they encountered other matchup problems as the taller Eagles were able to get the ball into the paint or to the baseline for high-percentage shots.

Jonathan Perkins paced Central with six points and nine rebounds while Tyler Pineo added six points, four rebounds, and two blocks.

TIGERS 43, PIRATES 37

Piscataquis (12-7) Dexter (16-3)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Tracy 3 10 2 2 9 A.Wodmn 0 3 2

London 1 6 1 4 3 Lavin 1 1 2

Russell 0 0 0 0 0 Robinson 2 8

Zimmermn 0 0 0 0 0 Peirce 5 10 14

Martell 1 1 0 0 2 B.Wodmn 2 6 6

Robinson 1 2 0 0 2 Eastman 0 2 0

Wharff 4 12 1 2 11 Martin 3 8 10

Harmon 0 2 0 0 0 Cote 0 1 1

Coldwell 0 0 0 0 0

Robinson 0 2 0 0 0

Burdin 3 13 3 5 9

Totals 13 48 7 13 36 Totals 13 34 15 24 43

Piscataquis 8 8 17 36

Dexter 11 22 28 43

3-pt. goals – Piscataquis (3-19): Wharff 2-8, Tracy 1-6, London 0-1, Harmon 0-2, Burdin 0-2; Dexter (2-11): Pierce 2-3, Eastman 0-1, Martin 0-5, Woodman 0-2

EAGLES 66, RED DEVILS 38

Central (12-9) Geo. Stevens (15-4)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Kane 2 11 0 2 4 Owen 6 10 4 18

LaFlamme 1 2 0 0 2 Peake 2 4 6

Pineo 2 18 0 0 6 Gray 3 6 7

L.Nickersn 3 6 0 0 6 Henry 8 11 20

R.Nickersn 1 2 0 1 2 Bridges 2 4 5

Perkins 3 12 0 0 6 Wessel 2 5 5

Fenn 2 4 0 0 4 Smith 0 1 0 0

Collins 2 3 0 0 4 Gordon 1 2 2

Wiers 1 1 0 0 2 Larry 1 1 3

Palmer 1 2 0 0 2 Lawson 0 1 0

Dow 0 0 0 0

Astbury 0 0 0 0

Totals 18 61 0 3 38 Totals 25 45 11 20 66

Central 9 19 23 38

George Stevens 20 31 49 66

3-pt. goals – Central (2-17): Kane 0-2, Perkins 0-3, Pineo 2-11, Fenn 0-1; GSA (5-6): Owen 2-3, Wessel 1-1, Lary 1-1, Henry 1-1