Every team needs them, those unsung warriors whose accomplishments don’t necessarily draw the bright lights but are essential to success.

The Central Aroostook boys basketball team has plenty of those players, including twin brothers Blake and Logan McCarthy, a pair of 6-foot-1 senior forwards whose play was crucial to the Panthers’ 54-53 victory over Richmond in Monday night’s Class D boys basketball state championship game at the Augusta Civic Center.

The McCarthys combined for 10 points and 10 rebounds, which was virtually a standoff with Richmond’s 6-foot-10 center Marc Zaharchuk, who finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

And a standoff at that position was a win for the 22-0 Panthers, who won their third state title in the last four years.

“In the first half [Blake] guarded him and I played in the middle, let my guy do whatever,” said Logan McCarthy, who had six points and four rebounds. “In the second half if I was out of foul trouble I’d guard him straight up and we’d just play man to man, and that’s what ended up happening.

“I knew they were going to get the ball to him, and I knew if I played in front of him they were just going to lob it over, so I had to kind of just play him straight up and make him go left and just hope for the best, really.”

Zaharchuk was hindered by foul trouble, picking up a technical for his second foul with 5:46 left in the second quarter and sitting out the remainder of the first half. He picked up his third foul 17 seconds into the second half and drew his fourth with 5:56 left in the fourth quarter and again sat down briefly.

“He got in foul trouble a little bit and had to sit out,” said Central Aroostook coach Tim Brewer. “But the McCarthy boys did an excellent job on him and the other guys that were helping on him also did just a tremendous job. We tried to collapse in the paint as much as possible.”

That tactic hurt the Panthers somewhat early in the game, as Richmond made seven 3-pointers in the first half, five by sophomore guard Eric Murrin, to battle Central Aroostook to a 30-30 halftime stalemate.

But as the halftime break and his assignment guarding Central Aroostook star Cameron York as part of Richmond’s diamond-and-one defense served to cool off Murrin’s hot hand, the Bobcats turned in the second half to Zaharchuk.

He struck for two quick baskets as Richmond scored the first seven points of the second half, but Zaharchuk managed just three more field goals in the game – two in the game’s final 70 seconds as the teams swapped five lead changes in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.

“I was surprised we got through halftime with neither one of [the McCarthys] having any fouls,” said Brewer, “so what we did in the second half was just went man-to-man. I told Logan to be aggressive with [Zaharchuk] and not give him any layups. He got some good looks, but it ended up paying off at the end.”

Zaharchuk finished with six field goals in 13 attempts and 1 of 2 from the free-throw line.

“We want to go to him and had the matchup there we wanted, but he got frustrated in the first half and picked up some foolish fouls,” said Richmond coach Paul Lancaster. “The way teams play him, they play him physical. It’s hard not to retaliate and he did a couple of times, and that kind of got him off his game, but once he got playing he came out of that a little bit.”

The McCarthys’ contribution to Central Aroostook’s victory wasn’t all about defense, as they teamed up for a crucial basket with just 33 seconds left in the game.

With the Panthers trailing 51-50, York missed a shot but Blake McCarthy alertly grabbed the offensive rebound. Rather than go up for the shot himself, he saw Logan cutting through the lane and made a quick pass that led to a go-ahead layup.

“When Cameron shot I knew it was off so I tried to get the best position to get that rebound,” said Blake. “I got that rebound and looked to my brother, and he was open.”

“I knew Zaharchuk was guarding me and he just looked away from me thinking I wasn’t going to do anything,” added Logan. “So I went to the opening and made the layup.”

Zaharchuk then put Richmond ahead with 15 seconds left before Central Aroostook’s Manny Martinez scored the game-winner with 0.8 seconds remaining.

Bobcats set 3-point marks

Richmond set two Class D boys state final records in defeat Monday night, both involving 3-point shooting.

Murrin tied the mark for most 3-pointers by an individual with five, matching the record set by Jason Douglas of Buckfield in 1988. Murrin’s 3-pointers all came in the first half, when he came off the bench to make 5 of 8 attempts from beyond the arc.

After halftime, he missed his only 3-point try.

The Bobcats collectively made a Class D boys state final-record eight 3-pointers in 23 attempts. The previous mark was seven, accomplished three times by Valley of Bingham (2001, 2002 and 2005) and matched by Central Aroostook in 2006 when it also defeated Richmond in the state final.

Panthers’ York perseveres

The smile on Cameron York’s face after Central Aroostook’s victory over Richmond belied the tough times the Panthers’ senior guard had experienced on game night and in the days preceding the Class D state final.

Not only was York the focus of a diamond-and-one defense employed by Richmond, he also entered the game continuing a recent battle with the flu.

The 5-11 York nevertheless scored 10 points in the game, including 4-of-4 shooting from the free-throw line. His presence on the floor also took some of Richmond’s defensive focus off such teammates as Martinez, who scored a game-high 20 points, and sophomore guard Kasey Brewer, who came off the bench to contribute 12 points.

“Cam was not doing good at halftime,” said Central Aroostook coach Tim Brewer. “I said to him, ‘What do you want to do, do you want me to start someone else in the second half?’ He said, ‘I’m going to gut it out,’ and he did. I’m proud of him.”

eclark@bangordailynews.net

990-8045