HAMPDEN – Top-ranked Bangor advanced to the Eastern Maine Class A tennis finals for the second straight year Saturday, using strong singles play as the catalyst for a 4-1 semifinal victory over No. 4 Brewer at Bangor Indoor Tennis.

The unbeaten Rams (14-0) play defending state champion Lewiston, the second seed at 14-0, for the regional championship Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Colby College in Waterville.

Brewer finished with a 9-5 record.

Coach Cindi Howard’s Bangor club, which lost to Lewiston 4-1 in last year’s regional final, also fell to the Blue Devils 4-1 in the recent Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference championships, which are not part of the regular season.

Bangor defeated Brewer twice during the regular season, and straight-set victories by Adam Bernstein, Will Cutshall and Ian McDonnell ensured the Rams would gain a similar result in their postseason meeting.

Cutshall, a junior playing second singles, scored the first point of the match with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Brewer sophomore Nick Morris.

“I tried mixing things up a little more than I usually do,” said Cutshall, “changing the pace a little looking for his weaknesses and trying to exploit them. I think it went well overall.”

McDonnell then gave the Rams a 2-0 lead with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Brewer senior Chris Brady at third singles.

“My opponent brought a lot of intensity to the match,” said McDonnell, a junior. “My backhand’s probably my strongest tool, and it was sort of working today.”

The teams then split two hard-fought, three-set doubles matches.

Brewer junior Ryan Nadeau and freshman Brian Carr outlasted Bangor seniors Ricky Segal and Chris Folsom at first doubles in a match that featured predominantly baseline play by both teams, with long rallies the rule before the Brewer duo earned a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 victory.

But Bangor countered with the match-clinching victory at second doubles when juniors Josh Turcotte and Alex Price got the best of the net play to edge Brewer freshmen Evan Nadeau and Alex Burgess 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.

Bernstein, a senior, finished off the match with a strong performance at first singles, downing Brewer senior Travis Blackmer 6-1, 6-2.

“Adam played well against Travis the third time through [this season], but it’s always a tough match when they play,” said Howard.

eclark@bangordailynews.net

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