AUGUSTA — Top-ranked Bangor used its size and experience to run away with a 65-38 victory against eighth-seeded Brunswick in an Eastern Class A boys’ basketball quarterfinal Saturday night at the Augusta Civic Center.

Zach Blodgett and Josiah Hartley each scored 14 points as the Rams (18-1) moved into Wednesday night’s semifinal against fourth-ranked Mt. Blue (15-4) at Augusta.

The Rams took a 17-11 lead in the first quarter with most of their points coming off offensive rebounds.

“Coach didn’t want us to shoots 3s at all,” Blodgett said. “He just wanted us to pound the boards and use our size.”

When the Dragons (9-10) switched to a 2-3 zone defense in the second quarter, Bangor adjusted and still found ways to get the ball inside.

“We were planning on them playing zone and they did,” Blodgett said. “We just attacked the gaps. We worked on it all practice so we were ready.”

The Dragons simply couldn’t handle the Rams inside.

“We would react to what they did,” Brunswick Coach Todd Hanson said. “They were a step quicker and they beat us to the spot each time, and they put us in a hole we couldn’t recover from.”

The only downside to the Bangor victory came early in the third quarter when Blodgett left with a sprained ankle.

“It was a low ankle turn and I think he’s going to be all right,” Bangor Coach Roger Reed said. “We got ice on it already. I think he could have gone back in but we didn’t need to put him back in.

Mitchell Black scored a game-high 15 points for Brunswick, which had one senior. Garrett Erb added 11.

“With our young team, we just said (Bangor) is a team we want to look in the mirror and emulate and be where they are at some point,” Hanson said. “They did a lot of things very, very well at both ends of the floor.” 

Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:

pbetit@pressherald.com