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READFIELD — Maranacook’s 49-47 win over Spruce Mountain in the Class C South boys basketball title game is likely still fresh on the mind of anybody who was at the Augusta Civic Center on Saturday night.

A raucous crowd fit for a regional final saw a classic game between two premier teams, topped off by a buzzer-beater by Ethan Chilton, after which Maranacook players celebrated with their student section in an unforgettable scene.

“It was a lot of fun, but now, we know we have to regroup a little bit,” said Maranacook senior Elijah Freeman. “Celebrating was nice, but we have to come back and get ourselves focused on the big prize.”

While last week was joyous for Maranacook, the road to a regional title was also taxing. Now, the Black Bears face the task of turning the page from an emotionally draining week as they prepare for Saturday’s state final in Augusta against Fort Kent.

Although the Black Bears beat Waynflete 83-69 in the quarterfinals, the Flyers’ J.J. Carlo made them work for the victory with a 23-point second half. In the semifinals, Hall-Dale cut Maranacook’s 18-point lead all the way down to one before the Black Bears prevailed. 

Then, in the regional championship game, Maranacook (17-4), the No. 3 seed, trailed most of the game while facing top-seeded Spruce Mountain’s Class C-best scoring defense.

“That was a fun night,” said Jack Fontaine, who led Maranacook with 72 points in the regional tournament. “For a lot of us, that was the biggest game of our lives, so it can be hard to move on and focus on the big goal, but I think we’re focused. … We’re very locked in.”

Maranacook has been a team not afraid to let its emotions show. On Jan. 28, Fontaine celebrated emphatically after his steal and layup sealed a win at Hall-Dale. Then there were Saturday night’s scenes, which included Chilton’s celebration and coach Travis Magnusson making a vigorous fist-pump.

That’s a big part, Magnusson said, of how this Maranacook team functions. The Black Bears have excelled at translating emotion into success, and the passion that stemmed from large crowds and tightly contested games in Augusta has helped fuel the team.

“People can say whatever they want about us, but we play with energy,” Magnusson said. “That’s how we play, and that energy has been key for us winning. We’re going to keep doing that — playing with that energy and having that passion and that support for each other.”

Magnusson, Freeman and Fontaine all agreed that Maranacook has been able to put last week aside. The focus now is completely on Fort Kent, which won the North championship over Caribou on a buzzer-beater of its own, just minutes after the Black Bears topped Spruce Mountain.

The win over Spruce Mountain, Magnusson said, epitomized Maranacook’s ability to stay engaged. Even though that game was just 48 hours after the draining semifinal win over Hall-Dale, the Black Bears found a way to end Spruce Mountain’s 18-game winning streak.

“I thought Spruce was the most focused we’ve ever been,” Magnusson said. “Against Hall-Dale, we played really well, but I thought there were times we weren’t as focused as we needed to be. Against Spruce, no matter what was going on, they were always focused. I think it was the most together we’ve been this year.”

Now the Black Bears get a full week to focus on Fort Kent, which has to come down from its own high after Aden Jeffers’ shot as time expired snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

Freeman said the Black Bears have shown “tunnel vision” in practice this week. They know they’re in for a fight against a Fort Kent team that beat two Class C North juggernauts in Mattanawcook Academy and Caribou.

Magnusson called the state final “a coin flip.”

“It’s easy to be distracted by everything going on, but you’ve just got to focus,” said freshman Gage Mattson. “We’ve had some good practices, and we’ve been able to rest up. Hopefully, we can go out, compete and come away with the Gold Ball.”