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One of Maine’s best basketball rivalries crashed into the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor Thursday night. And the Gardiner Tigers emerged victorious over longtime foe Cony to take the Class B North title back with them to central Maine.
Gardiner shot the lights out from 3-point range and closed the game out strong to earn the 80-71 win over the Rams.
It was a high-energy game throughout, with the teams meeting for the third time this season after splitting the first two games. Both fan sections brought title-game noise to the Cross Center, and the No. 3 Tigers came away with the upset win over top-ranked Cony.
Senior forward Brady Atwater once again led the way for Gardiner, notching 27 points for the Tigers. Senior guard Brady Peacock had 16 for Gardiner.
Junior guard Trace Moody added 12, including a pair of massive 3-pointers down the stretch to help close the door on the Rams.
Cony looked poised to battle back in the fourth quarter, with senior Parker Morin providing a sequence of hustle plays on defense that included a ferocious block and a timely steal. Freshman star Carter Brathwaite led all scorers with 32 points, followed by Morin with 16.
