BANGOR – Cameron York had no idea how many points he scored Thursday, only that his team scored enough to reach the Eastern Maine Class D final.

But York certainly had a lot to do with that advancement, going off for a career-high 40 points to lead top-ranked and undefeated Central Aroostook of Mars Hill to a 75-61 semifinal victory over No. 5 Fort Fairfield at the Bangor Auditorium.

It was a somewhat quiet 40 – if there can be such a thing in tournament play – as the 5-foot-11 senior guard vigorously attacked the basket and converted that aggression into a 10-of-16 shooting performance from the field and a tournament record-tying 17 free throws.

“We knew we had to take it to the hole,” said York. “My dad was telling me before the game to take it to the hole strong, finish, and just shoot with confidence.”

That confidence was most on display at the free-throw line where he made 17 of 18 attempts – including 10 of 10 in the fourth quarter – to match the Eastern D single-game record set by Mitchell Beal of Jonesport-Beals in 1980 and tied by Alvin Beal of Jonesport-Beals in 2002.

“He just had a tremendous game,” said Central Aroostook coach Tim Brewer. “He led our team, he took control when we needed him to take control handling the ball, and he took a lot of pressure off our freshman, Logan McLaughlin, who plays point guard.”

The win advances the Panthers (20-0) to Saturday’s final against No. 3 Woodland, which ousted defending state champ Deer Isle-Stonington Thursday.

Coach Todd Alley’s Fort Fairfield team, which earned a trip to Bangor for the first time since 1998, finishes with a 15-6 record.

The Tigers, coming off their first tourney win at the Auditorium since winning the 1998 Eastern C title, went on a 12-1 run late in the first quarter and early in the second to rally from an early 10-point deficit.

Freshman Travis Noyes ignited the surge by banking in a 3-point goal from the top of the key with 17 seconds left in the first quarter. Josh Booth opened the second quarter with another 3-pointer before Noyes and Austin Dufour each scored from close range to give the Tigers a 22-21 lead with 5:36 left in the half.

But as Fort Fairfield drifted into foul trouble, Central Aroostook countered with what would be a decisive 11-0 rally of its own. Kasey Brewer’s layup gave the Panthers a 23-22 lead, and Blake McCarthy followed with a layup before York sandwiched a baseline drive and a 3-pointer around a follow-up shot by Brewer as Central Aroostook took a 32-22 lead.

“We went into a little lapse defensively and got a little lax,” said York, “but we talked about it during a timeout and guys really started picking it up because we didn’t want to lose this game and we needed to give 100 percent on defense.”

Central Aroostook held a 37-28 lead at the break before York scored 12 points in the third quarter as the Panthers extended their advantage to 58-43.

Manny Martinez added 10 points for the Panthers, while Logan McCarthy had eight points and nine rebounds and Brewer contributed four steals as part of the 20 turnovers forced by the Central Aroostook defense.

Ryan Noyes led Fort Fairfield with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Cody Closson scored 12 points and Travis Noyes added 10 points.

eclark@bangordailynews.net

990-8045

PANTHERS 75, TIGERS 61

Fort Fairfield (15-6) C. Aroostook (20-0)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Everett 0 0 0 0 0 Martinez 3 10

Edgecomb 1 2 0 0 2 Folsom 0 0 0

T. Noyes 3 6 3 4 10 York 10 16 17 18 40

Closson 3 8 5 8 12 McLghlin 2 7

Forsman 1 3 0 0 2 Brewer 2 6 6

Churchill 0 1 0 0 0 Kelly 1 1 2

Cresenzo 3 4 0 0 6 B.McCrthy 1 2

Booth 3 7 0 0 7 L.McCrthy 4 8

Ramos 0 0 0 0 0

R. Noyes 5 8 4 6 14

Sharpe 0 3 2 2 2

McNamee 0 0 0 0 0

Dufour 2 7 2 2 6

Totals 21 49 16 22 61 Totals 23 42 25 32 75

Fort Fairfield 13 28 43 61

Central Aroostook 20 37 58 75

3-pt. goals – Fort Fairfield (3-13): T. Noyes 1-1, Booth 1-2, Closson 1-3, Churchill 0-1, R. Noyes 0-1, Dufour 0-2, Sharpe 0-3; Central Aroostook (4-9): York 3-4, McLaughlin 1-1, Martinez 0-2, Brewer 0-2