A much anticipated matchup turned into a huge win for the Boothbay Region High School varsity boys basketball team as they knocked the Dirigo Cougars from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 56-44 victory at Porter Memorial on Thursday, Jan. 24. Boothbay's Seahawks locked up a top three finish in the upcoming Western Maine tournament with the win. Click here for photos of the game.

The defending state champion Cougars looked ready to make a big statement with their visit to the coast as they scored 14 unanswered points early in the contest. Freshman Riley Robinson found his way to the hoop for six straight points after Travis Frost had opened with a three-pointer and a drive of his own. John Hepburn scored the only six points for the Seahawks as they were lucky to be only trailing by 10 after eight minutes.

Anthony DiMauro hit five of seven free throws early in the second quarter as the senior took the ball to the basket and wound up scoring the first five points. The Cougars' offense sputtered after a defensive switch to a zone by the Seahawks. A 3-pointer by Robinson was the highlight for Dirigo as they were held to six points.

Lincoln Simmons came through for Boothbay with a couple big hoops late in the quarter as the lead was cut to four before the final Dirigo basket pushed the margin to six at the break.

The yeoman’s work the Seahawks had done in the second quarter to get back in looked in vain early in the third as a pair of 3-pointers by Kaine Hutchins, around a nifty hoop by Simmons, had the lead back to ten (28-18). But Dirigo would only score two more points over the next seven minutes and were in the midst of a stage where the visitors scored only 16 points from a point in the first quarter until 6:24 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Seahawks picked up the defensive pressure and starting turning steals into up tempo basketball. Andrew Hallinan found John Hepburn on the break, DiMauro set up Hallinan with a nice four-footer, and Hepburn put back a miss to cut the lead to four with 3:10 left in the third. 

With Dirigo continuing to fire from behind the arc with no results and the Seahawks clogging up the passing lanes, DiMauro set up baskets by Simmons and Hepburn to cut the lead to two heading into the final quarter.

After two DiMauro steals – one he connected with Hallinan to tie the game and the next he took coast-to-coast – gave the Seahawks their first lead since the opening minute of the game. With all the momentum going their way, the Seahawks got six straight points from John Hepburn before DiMauro connected on a long pass for a hoop by Evan Hepburn. A driving banker by Hallinan was followed by two buckets by Dirigo as they cut the lead to five and eventually four on a 3-pointer by Robinson following a DiMauro drive. John Hepburn contributed his fourth hoop of the quarter and Hallinan and DiMauro hooked up before Dirigo scored its last three points of the game.

With under a minute to play DiMauro built on the 5-point lead with four-of-four from the line and put the explanation point on the night with a 3-point play. DiMauro finished with a game-high 20 points, which included 12 of 17 from the free throw line, to go along with seven rebounds and six assists. John Hepburn added 18 points in a win that propelled the Seahawks temporarily into first place.

Game Over: Boothbay pulls ahead and wins 56-44. Anthony DiMauro lead the Seahawks with 20 points.

Third Quarter: Dirigo on top with 30-28.

Second Quarter: Dirigo leads at the half 22-16.

First Quarter: Seahawks trail Dirigo 6-16.

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
	6	10	12	28	56
	16	6	6	14	44

Pre-game: Two boys varsity teams with a lot on the line will tip off at 7 p.m. tonight at Boothbay Region High School, when the Seahawks (13-1) host the undefeated Dirigo Cougars (13-0) in one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the regular season.

In the past decade, Boothbay and Dirigo have dueled for dominance in the Mountain Valley Conference on many occasions. Since 2008, Dirigo has played four consecutive state championships, and lost three times to the East, but brought home the coveted gold ball in 2012.

This year the defending champs have adjusted their roster after graduating four key starters last year. Under the direction of Travis Magnusson, in his second season as head coach, the Cougars have proved they're once again a championship contender, having remained unbeaten so far this season.

In Seahawk Nation, coach I. J. Pinkham's team gets ready for the challenge tonight. The Seahawks are led by senior captain Anthony DiMauro, and sophomore John Hepburn who aren't shy when it comes to racking up points. This season DiMauro has averaged 14.3 points per game, while Hepburn has hit 17.1 points per game. Boothbay's ability to break the full court press and score in transition only add to their powerful post presence from brothers Shawn and Linc Simmons, brothers who will come head to head against Dirigo's T. J. and Tyler Frost.

The talent, might and determination of the two MVC contenders will culminate tonight at 7 p.m. at Porter Memorial Gymnasium.