It was a sea of purple and white for the Class A boys' state final - those being the school colors for both Deering and Hampden Academy.

Prior to 2001, Deering had been in only one state basketball final, in 1937, when it lost to Winslow.
In the past 12 seasons, Deering has played in five state championship games, with the last three against Hampden Academy.

JOSH BRITTEN of Yarmouth has worn bandage strips on his right shoulder in recent games. That shoulder was operated on last year, and when the season began, he wondered how it would hold up.

Fortunately, he shoots left-handed. The shoulder was fine all season, although he did get it banged up in the final regular-season game against Falmouth, thus prompting the bandages for precautionary measures.

Britten, who scored 54 points in a game this season, started the Class B state final Friday night like he might challenge his career high. He scored his team's first nine points and had 22 at the half, but added only scored seven in the second half as Gardiner's constant defensive pressure tired him out a little. Still, it was one of the top performances in recent years in a state final.

Yarmouth won 65-53 for the school's second basketball state championship, and first since 1968.

About this Blog

VarsityMaine The Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram put a priority on high school sports coverage, and this blog is a place for all our reporters to put news and notes from around the state.

From football to field hockey, from cross country to volleyball, our goal is to keep you informed of the happenings in all high school sports.

Click below for sport-specific posts.

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About the Author

Maine High School Sports Bloggers

Paul Betit is an Augusta native and graduate of the University of Maine. He has covered Maine high school sports for more than 30 years and is entering his seventh season as a beat writer covering the Portland Pirates. In his spare time, Betit writes mystery-suspense novels. Occasionally, he tries to sink his second career hole-in-one.

Glenn Jordan came to Maine in 1994 to cover the nascent Portland Sea Dogs. After eight baseball seasons and three children – the last two within 18 minutes of each other – he became a part-time writer. Among the sports he covers are now are tennis, skiing, swimming and running. He has a degree in philosophy from Dartmouth, a decent forehand and a penchant for checkers.

Mike Lowe is a Massachusetts native who feels he's lived long enough in Maine (since 1982) to have roots here. He graduated from Boston University and has worked in New Hampshire and Maine, covering everything from the Little League World Series to the Summer Olympics. When he has free time – Ha! – he likes to read, collect comic books and watch the grass grow from his hammock.

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