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AUGUSTA — Harry Louis and Fisher Tewksbury know how special it is to win a regional championship.

The Valley seniors were part of the Cavaliers team that won the Class D South title over St. Dominic Academy in 2024.

But don’t be fooled by the smiles that filled their bench as time elapsed Saturday in the Class S South final at the Augusta Civic Center as Valley completed an 89-42 win over rival Forest Hills. 

The job’s not finished for the Cavaliers. 

Louis, who paced Valley (19-2) with 27 points, and Tewksbury, who scored 16, will be the first to tell you that their team is on a mission beyond winning the regional title. They want a Gold Ball. 

“Big win, but at the end of the day, we’ve done this a lot,” said Louis, who won the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award. “It’s been a long five years, so we know what the ultimate goal is. We’ll celebrate tonight, but come tomorrow, we wake up, we got another goal ahead of us.” 

It’s a goal that the Cavaliers have been thinking about since they lost to Bangor Christian in the Class D final two years ago.

First, the Cavaliers needed to defeat third-seeded Forest Hills (14-7), which they did in dominant fashion. 

From the first possession, Valley was in full control with its fast-paced style. 

“Quite honestly, that’s Valley basketball,” coach Michael Staples said. “And when we’re playing like that and we’re playing defense like we did, forcing turnovers and getting out into the breaks, that’s when we’re our best.”

If there was one player who was going to cause trouble for Valley, it was Forest Hills sophomore Jaxson Desjardins, who started his tournament with a 36-point performance in the quarterfinals against Temple Academy last week. 

Desjardins finished with 22 points Saturday, but the Tigers couldn’t keep up with Valley’s pace. A 20-point lead at halftime turned into a 45-point margin heading into the fourth quarter. 

Valley never took its foot off the gas. That was evident when Staples was still instructing his reserves to play defense until the final buzzer sounded. 

“We worked hard all summer, we had a great season, but you got to get the job done when you get down here,” Staples said. “And so the boys played amazing today. I’m so happy with their play. They came out and did their jobs. There’s a little bit of a relief, but I’m sure by tomorrow morning, I’m already going to be looking at film and getting ready, because the big one’s coming.”

The Cavaliers will play Easton (15-6) at 12:45 p.m. next Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center.

Louis and Tewksbury, who both began playing for the Cavaliers as eighth-graders, and the rest of Valley’s seniors will get one last chance to win a state championship. 

“There’s one last piece to the puzzle,” Tewksbury said. “It’s that Gold Ball, and that’s all we’ve wanted for our five years … It’s really the end of the road for us.”