BANGOR – The Houlton boys basketball team poured on the points in its Eastern Maine Class C semifinal Friday afternoon, but all coach Sean Callahan wanted to talk about afterward was defense.

That’s because the No. 2 Shiretowners held No. 11 Schenck of East Millinocket to 12 points through the first two quarters, and rolled to a 74-40 victory at the Bangor Auditorium.

“We didn’t talk much about offense,” Callahan said. “When they beat us [in the regular season] we felt we needed to make a defensive adjustment and we did.”

Dustin Edwards led Houlton (18-2) with 17 points, including 7-for-10 shooting, as the Shiretowners earned a berth in today’s 9:45 a.m. EM final. Houlton will face No. 1 Washington Academy of East Machias, the winner of Friday’s other semifinal.

Houlton played man-to-man and made sure to crowd the middle to force Schenck outside. The Wolverines were 3-for-15 from 3-point range.

“We wanted to pack in our man-to-man half-court defense inside the 3-point arc,” Callahan said. “They did spread us out successfully and penetrated the gaps in their [regular-season] win. This time we made sure if they were going to beat us, they were going to beat us from the outside or throwing the ball over the top.”

The Shires jumped out to a 13-0 lead and were up 22-4 at the end of the first quarter. Houlton scored 10 unanswered points during one stretch of the second quarter to go up 32-8.

“I think we came in scared,” Schenck coach Steve LeVasseur said. “We didn’t play well and we didn’t shoot well.”

Houlton started with four straight jumpers, including 3-pointers from Brett Miles (14 points) and Danny Bartlett, but the Shires used their height advantage from there, powering inside for baskets.

“We just wanted to start out smart, pass the ball around, and let everyone get shots,” Miles said. “We wanted to get fired up in the beginning.”

Mark Socoby, a 6-foot-6 forward, scored 15 points and had 10 rebounds, while 6-6 Leif O’Connell added nine rebounds and Miles had eight.

Houlton had a 56-26 rebounding advantage.

“Boxing out is probably the biggest thing after defense,” Miles said. “Box out and go. That’s what Coach Callahan tells us in every practice and that’s what we did today.”

The Wolverines tried a triangle-and-2 defense with defenders on Socoby and Edwards.

“We wanted to let the other guys hit shots, and they did,” LeVasseur said. “Our guys in the triangle didn’t go out on the wings.”

Andrew VanEss led the Wolverines with eight points and eight rebounds.

SHIRETOWNERS 74, WOLVERINES 40

Schenck (9-12) Houlton (18-2)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Kimball 0 3 0 0 0 Meyers 1 1 2

Hanington 2 6 2 2 6 Cummings 0 0

Bishop 2 3 1 1 5 Bossie 0 1 0

K. Thompson 1 2 0 0 3 O’Connell 3 6

Waite 2 6 0 0 5 B. Miles 5 14

T. Thompson 0 9 0 0 0 Anderson 0 0

K. Pelkey 0 0 1 2 1 Hill 0 1 4

Graham 1 8 0 0 3 Bartlett 1 6

Jamo 0 1 2 2 2 Socoby 4 12 7 10 15

VanEss 4 8 0 1 8 Duff 1 2 2

J. Pelkey 2 7 3 8 7 A. Miles 1 2

Cram 0 0 0 0 0 Campbell 2 3 5

Lloyd 0 0 1 1

Edwards 7 10 1 17

Totals 14 53 9 16 40 25 57 20 28 74

Schenck 4 12 26 40

Houlton 22 36 54 74

3-pt. goals ? Schenck (3-15): Waite 1-3, K. Thompson 1-2, Graham 1-4, Kimball 0-1, T. Thompson 0-3, Jamo 0-1, VanEss 0-1; Houlton (4-12): Edwards 2-2, Bartlett 1-2, B. Miles 1-4, O’Connell 0-1, Anderson 0-1, Socoby 0-2