Ryan Parent averages 15.3 points per game for Messalonskee, which will face Falmouth for the Class A state title on Friday. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

OAKLAND — In the annals of Messalonskee boys basketball history, this is the pinnacle.

The Eagles set the program record for wins at 19 and reached the Class A state championship game for just the second time (they lost to Greely in 2017). Coach Sam Smith, though, doesn’t want his team thinking about that — at least not yet.

“I think it’ll set in for us at some point, but it hasn’t set in yet because our ultimate goal is to win a state championship,” Smith said. “It’s great to look at and say, ‘Oh, we did this, this and this,’ but you want to win the big one.”

The most successful team in Messalonskee history is 32 minutes from reaching its goal. The North champion Eagles (19-2) will take on South champion Falmouth (18-3) in the Class A final at 7:45 p.m. Friday at the Augusta Civic Center.

It’s been a steady climb for this year’s Messalonskee seniors. As freshmen, they went 4-16 and were eliminated in the regional quarterfinals. They then went one step further with an 8-12 record and a semifinal berth as sophomores before going 16-5 with a regional final loss as juniors.

Winning a regional title was a natural progression for Messalonskee. Yet it was the way the Eagles’ season ended last year — a 44-43 loss to Hampden Academy in a game they led in the final minute — that’s been the driving force.

“After we felt like we got robbed last year, we’ve been trying to get back here,” said Ty Bernier, Messalonskee’s leading scorer at 19.8 points per game. “It’s been our goal all season long, and we’re excited for it.”

The Eagles had to make some unexpected adjustments following the season, when Merrick Smith, the anchor for this group of Messalonskee players since youth ball, announced he would transfer to play prep basketball at North Kimball Union.

Messalonskee’s Parker Reynolds averages 11.8 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

The Eagles, though, have grown into their roles perfectly. Parker Reynolds (11.8 rebounds, 4.1 blocks per game) has kept Messalonskee stout in the paint; Bernier and Ryan Parent (15.3 points) are two of the state’s top shooters; Drake Brunelle, who Sam Smith called Class A North’s best defender, leads the team in assists (5.2).

“There was a feeling-out period earlier in the year, but we’ve found it, and it’s been great to have all the versatility we have,” Brunelle said. “There are going to be certain games where we need certain things, and to always have someone who can do it, it really works out.”

Smith’s team prides itself on defense, something that’s shown throughout the tournament. Against Nokomis in the quarterfinals, the Eagles made 10 steals and limited the Warriors to 16-of-51 shooting. In the regional final against Hampden, the Broncos shot just 16 of 45 and Messalonskee won, 49-37.

In the one game in which Messalonskee needed a lot of points, the Eagles got them. With Camden Hills junior Nolan Ames erupting for 20 fourth-quarter points in the regional semifinals, Messalonskee kept pace, as Bernier scored 11 points in the final eight minutes to lead the Eagles to a 63-61 win.

“We’ve just focused on trusting ourselves, playing our game and not really worrying about anything else,” Bernier said. “We worry about the stuff we can control: getting rebounds, turnovers, having quality offensive possessions — all of that.”

It’s not just last year’s loss to Hampden that has been driving these Eagles. When they were younger, this group of Messalonskee players was coached by Heidi Bernier, Ty’s mother, and Candice Parent, Ryan’s mom. Candice Parent died of cancer Oct. 27, 2023.

Since then, Messalonskee’s run has seemed like one of destiny. On Jan. 27, 2024 — what would have been Candice Parent’s 53rd birthday — Ryan Parent hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Eagles a 60-58 win over Skowhegan. Even this year, Reynolds said, the team has felt her presence.

“Every single game we play, we play for her,” Reynolds said. “I think if you asked anybody on the team, they’d say that, too.”

They’ll do that one more time Friday against a Falmouth team Smith knows will be his team’s toughest matchup of the season. While the Eagles have won 14 straight games, the Navigators have won nine in a row. Smith says Falmouth reminds him of his own team.

“They have some really good guard play, their bigs are good, and they’re a senior-led team,” Smith said. “They look like a well-knit team with a lot of great chemistry. … It’s going to be a great test for us, but we’re ready for it.”