Wells (15-6) vs. Hermon (21-0)
When: 8:45 p.m., Friday
Where: Cross Insurance Center, Bangor
How they got here: Wells, seeded first in the South, defeated Freeport (52-45), Gray-New Gloucester (54-33) and Cape Elizabeth (40-35) in the regional tournament; Hermon, seeded first in the North, beat Belfast (67-40), Winslow (57-32) and Mt. Desert Island (51-38).
Cam Cousins
Key players: Wells – Cam Cousins, sr., F (14 points per game, 10 rebounds), Matt Sherburne, jr., G (15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals), Tyler Bridge, jr., F (10 points, 8 rebounds); Hermon – Jacob Godfrey, sr., F/C (12.3 points, 8.1 rebounds), Keenan Marseille, sr., G (10.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists), Isaac Varney, soph., G/F (11.9 points, 5.9 rebounds).
What Wells has to do to win: Wells needs to get off to a good start, something it failed to do in last year’s 59-39 state-final loss to MDI. Hermon has built big leads in each playoff win, blitzing Belfast and Winslow in the first quarter. Wells must control the pace and keep Hermon from fast-break opportunities that have turned into dunks for Godfrey and Marseille. The 6-foot-4 Cousins and 6-3 Bridge have the size and strength to contain the 6-6 Godfrey and 6-3 Varney. Sherburne will have to shoot well on his dribble drives and pull-up jumpers. Getting scoring from senior guard Christian Saulnier or sophomore forward Matt Tufts would give Wells a better chance at winning its first title since 1984.
What Hermon has to do to win: As the favorite in front of the home crowd, the Hawks need to continue to play their tough half-court defense. That should settle any nerves Hermon is feeling about trying to win the school’s first boys’ Gold Ball. Maintaining balanced scoring will be another key. In addition to Godfrey, Marseille and Varney averaging in double figures, junior guard Cody Hawes, senior center Jordan Bishop and junior guard Garrett Trask each averaged 5 to 6 points. Trask is a top defender who added 3-point shooting in the regional final. But Hermon isn’t a good 3-point shooting team (26 percent), so the Hawks need to be able to score in the paint and/or in transition.
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