Fort Kent boys power into regional final
By Ryan McLaughlin
BANGOR — Preseason prognostications didn’t expect much out of the Fort Kent boys basketball team.
But the second-ranked Warriors continued to defy all the doubters, using a consistent effort on both ends of the floor to earn a 48-34 Class C North semifinal victory over third-ranked and defending regional champion Dexter at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor on Friday night, Feb. 24.
Fort Kent (16-4) earned its first trip to a regional championship game in program history. The Tigers finish their season 17-3.
LOOKING FOR AN OPENING — Dexter’s Will Kusnierz tries to dribble past Fort Kent’s Keegan Cyr during a Class C North boys semifinal game at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor on Feb. 24. Fort Kent won 48-34 to advance to the first regional final in program history.
After a back and forth slugfest in the first half, coach Chad Cyr’s club began to use its quickness and athleticism to wear down the bigger Tigers on both ends of the court.
That was spearheaded by the duo of Ethan Daigle and Lance Gagnon, with Daigle scoring 10 of his game-high 16 points in the first half and Gagnon netting six third-quarter points to help the Warriors stretch their lead to 15 by the end of the third quarter.
Dexter would get no closer than 12.
The Warriors did an outstanding job of using their quickness to use Dexter’s aggressiveness against them, and Fort Kent was able to play through the Tigers’ physicality.
HANDS-ON DEFENSE — Fort Kent’s Ethan Raymond defends Dexter’s Kayden Kimball on Friday evening in Bangor.
“That’s the style of play, that’s just how these kids play,” Cyr said.
“They’re a good defensive team,” Daigle said. “Our goal was to out-defend them this game.”
In spite of struggling from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter (2-for-12), the Warriors were able to hold the defending champions at bay.
“That’s got to get better,” Cyr noted of the Warriors’ foul-line struggles.
END OF THE SEASON — Fort Kent’s Ethan Daigle dribbles past Dexter’s Bryce Connor during a Class C North semifinal on Feb. 24 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. No. 2 Fort Kent won 48-34 to advance to the regional final against top-seeded Calais.
While Will Kusnierz led Dexter with 15 points, the Warriors were able to consistently frustrate him and force contested shots anytime he penetrated inside.
“We had a rough preseason, but we figured it out,” said Daigle, who also had eight rebounds and five assists. “We’ve just been gelling as a team.”
Fort Kent forced six Dexter turnovers in the second quarter to steadily take command of the game.
Class C North semifinal
Fort Kent 48, Dexter 34
No. 3 Dexter (17-3): Kimball 4-0-8, Bourgoin 1-0-2, Peavey 1-0-2, Connor 1-0-3, Spratt 0-2-2, Kusnierz 6-0-15, Doherty 1-0-2
No. 2 Fort Kent (16-4): Cyr 1-0-2, Ryder 2-0-4, Daigle 8-1-19, Valcourt 2-0-6, Raymond, Gagnon 6-2-14, Morneault 1-0-3
3-point goals: Connor, Kusnierz 3
Dexter 11 15 24 34
Fort Kent 13 22 39 48