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BANGOR — The opposing shooter who Cony didn’t want to get the ball wound up with the ball in his hands. Then, the final 2.5 seconds of a game that had already been defined by the thinnest of margins felt like a lifetime.

With his team down by two in the final seconds of a Class B North boys basketball semifinal, Ellsworth’s Bryce Hart attempted a 3-pointer that was contested by Parker Morin of Cony. Fortunately for the top-seeded Rams, Hart’s shot hit iron, and Cony claimed a 66-64 win in a thrilling battle at Cross Insurance Center.

“When Parker jumped right by him, I was just like, ‘Oh, please, please miss it,’” said Cony’s Carter Brathwaite. “It was a relief. … They’re a really good team, and they gave us a great game.”

Cony (18-2) advances to the regional final Friday in Bangor against rival and No. 3 seed Gardiner (17-3). The Tigers defeated Hermon 50-33 in the other semifinal.

In a back-and-forth game, neither team led by more than five points. Cony’s biggest lead was 36-31 early in the third quarter. Ellsworth’s largest was 46-42 later in the third.

“You get down to the final four teams, and everybody is a tough out at this point,” said Cony coach Isaiah Brathwaite. “(Ellsworth is) a physical team, and they just play well together — they’re fundamentally sound, and everybody plays their role.”

A Jackson Kay 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter gave the Rams a four-point lead. Then, after Ellsworth scored the next two baskets, a three-point play by Brathwaite put the Rams back up three.

Cony wouldn’t have been in position to win without Morin. After leading the way in the Rams’ 63-51 quarterfinal win over Presque Isle on Saturday, Morin scored 26 points — 19 in the first half — to help the Rams go blow-for-blow with Ellsworth.

“I’ve kind of known that this is my final year, and I want to leave with no regrets,” Morin said. “We knew (this was going to be close); we watched Ellsworth play, and they’re a tough, physical team — they weren’t going to give up for nobody.”

Hart’s miss at the buzzer wasn’t the only dramatic last-second shot. With Ellsworth up 31-30 as time wound down in the first half, Morin hit a 3-pointer that led to a replay review before officials ruled he got the shot off in time.

Cony knows the margins could be similar in a rivalry showdown Friday. After all, Gardiner beat the Rams 97-90 on Dec. 27 at the Augusta Civic Center before Cony got revenge with a 75-69 win at home on Jan. 22.

“I can assume (it will be another tight one),” Isaiah Brathwaite said. “We always have tough battles with them; no one’s really ever out of it. It’s just going to come down to whoever makes winning plays at the end.”