BANGOR – The Calais Blue Devils opened Tourney Week 2006 as the only undefeated boys basketball team in Eastern Maine.

They capped off that tournament experience still unbeaten – and regional champions – after a 67-44 victory over George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill in Saturday night’s Eastern C final at the Bangor Auditorium.

“It’s unbelievable,” said junior forward Chris Taylor, who scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds for the Blue Devils. “At the beginning of the season, obviously I didn’t think we’d go undefeated, and I never even saw an Eastern Maine championship on the horizon, but I’ve got to tell you it’s unbelievable.”

In winning its second EM crown in five years, Calais will play Western C champion Winthrop for the state title on Saturday at 8:45 p.m. at the Augusta Civic Center.

Top-ranked Calais (21-0) won its three games in the regional tournament by an average of 21.3 points using its talent, depth, quickness, and defensive tenacity to dominate its opponents.

“We came in knowing we had a target on our backs because we were undefeated and everybody wants to knock off an undefeated team,” said junior guard Brandon Tomah, who had 13 points and seven rebounds in the final. “We just kept working hard and pulled it out.”

GSA (16-5) had the height advantage, but Calais neutralized that with its quickness and fast-paced attack that generated higher-percentage shots. Calais shot 52 percent (25 of 48) from the field compared to 31 percent (17 of 55) for the Eagles.

“We didn’t get too many breaks,” said GSA coach Dwayne Carter. “They shot real well, and I thought we had hands in their faces. We didn’t rebound, they crashed the boards hard, and that was a big difference.”

Calais spotted No. 2 GSA a 2-0 lead but quickly took control. Taylor scored eight first-quarter points, including six straight to ignite a 10-2 run that produced a 19-9 lead after a Robbie Rogers 3-pointer and a Tomah free throw in the opening minute of the second period.

“Early on, they stuffed the ball right down our throats with a couple high-lows,” said Calais coach Ed Leeman. “But eventually I think we got them into a position where they were taking some outside shots. We got a chance to get out on the break, and when we’re in transition we’re at our best.”

GSA outscored Calais 9-2 to get within 21-18 on a 3-pointer by Caleb Owen (12 points), but the Blue Devils began using a 1-4 offense featuring the versatile Tomah, and that helped Calais score 11 unanswered points and outscore the Eagles 15-4 over the final four minutes of the half.

“Brandon’s a tough matchup,” said Leeman. “He can shoot over the top of you or he can go by you. On any given night he’s probably the fastest kid on the floor, so we go to [the 1-4] because we think we’re going to get a good look every time. Whether or not it goes in, we think we’re going to get a good look, and Brandon did break them down and get some good looks for us.”

GSA got no closer than 10 during the second half, at 42-32 on a 3-pointer by Collin Henry with 3:14 left in the third.

But Calais answered by outscoring GSA 14-2 to take a 56-34 lead on a drive by Sam Bell with 6:14 left in the game.

BLUE DEVILS 67, EAGLES 44

George Stevens (16-5) Calais (21-0)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Owen 5 13 0 0 12 Leeman 0 1 0 0

Astbury 0 0 0 0 0 Cvnaugh 0 1 1

Wessel 0 3 0 0 0 Tomah 6 12 13

Larry 0 1 0 0 0 Rogers 1 1 3

Peake 2 9 1 4 6 Taylor 7 12 19

Gray 1 6 0 0 2 Knowles 2 4 4 8

Henry 2 6 2 4 7 Guthrie 3 3 7

Smith 0 3 0 0 0 Stewart 0 1 1

Bridges 3 5 2 3 8 Bell 3 7 7

Dow 1 1 0 0 3 O’Neill 1 1 0 3

Lawson 0 0 0 0 0 Wallace 1 1 3

Gordon 3 8 0 1 6 Shorey 1 4 2

Totals 17 55 5 12 44 Totals 25 48 13 21 67

George Stevens 9 22 34 44

Calais 15 36 50 67

3-pt. goals – GSA (5-15): Owen 2-3, Peake 1-2, Henry 1-4, Dow 1-1, Wessel 0-1, Smith 0-1, Gordon 0-2, Larry 0-1; Calais (4-6): Guthrie 1-1, O’Neill 1-1, Wallace 1-1, Rogers 1-1, Tomah 0-1, Shorey 0-1