AUGUSTA - Finally, after a week's worth of mismatches, slowdowns and anticlimactic endings, Dirigo and Boothbay gave the tournament faithful at Augusta Civic Center a boys' basketball game they won't forget for a while.

Or in Adam Law's case, ever.

Law drained an open 3-pointer from the right corner at the buzzer in overtime Thursday night, carrying No. 1 Dirigo to a 48-45 Western Class C semifinal victory over No. 4 Boothbay.

"I just sent it up and hoped for the best," said Law, who was the third option on the winning play with more heralded teammates Colby Knapp and Wes Gagnon being closely supervised. "We were running the play for Colby down low off the screen, actually, and Wesley just passed it to me and I put it in."

Dirigo (19-1) avenged last year's loss to Boothbay in the regional final and punched its ticket to that game for the second year in a row. The Cougars will face No. 2 Winthrop at 8:45 p.m. Saturday. They've beaten the Ramblers in a pair of close contests this season, including the Mountain Valley Conference championship less than two weeks ago.

Knapp led the Cougars with 14 points. Thomas Knight finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots before fouling out with 3.6 seconds remaining in regulation.

Tim Stover missed the first free throw of the double bonus but swished the second to tie the game in that exchange.

Enrico Ross added 11 for Dirigo. Law produced his entire six points in the fourth quarter and OT.

"It could not happen to a nicer kid," said Dirigo coach Gavin Kane.

Kris Noonan was fabulous in the final performance of his high school career for Boothbay (17-3). Noonan concluded with a game-high 18 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks.

Dirigo switched to a 1-3-1 zone and mostly held Noonan in check after he erupted for 11 points and propelled the Seahawks to a 13-3 lead over the frosty Cougars after one period.

"We persevered through a number of different situations," Kane said. "Overall, we made some mistakes, but we handled ourselves pretty well at times in a number of pressure situations."

Missed free throws haunted both teams at the end of regulation.

Dirigo bricked the front end of two one-and-ones in the last minute. Four Boothbay bids rattled off the rim in the fourth period, including Stover's potential game-winner.

Overtime was a symphony of miscues and near-misses, too, as Dirigo tried to adapt to life without the 6-foot-8 Knight in the middle by creating havoc on the defensive end.

Boothbay was 1-of-4 from the field with three turnovers in OT. The Cougars missed their only two field goal tries before Law's heroics.

Dirigo was content to drain the remaining time off the clock after Boothbay missed from the paint and Gagnon reeled in the rebound with 52 seconds left.

"It would have been even tougher for us if it had gone to a second overtime," said Law. "We would had trouble stopping Noonan because we didn't have Thomas and (Erik) Kersey had four fouls."

Law's buzzer-beater wasn't the first of the game for Dirigo. Gagnon dropped a 3-pointer inside the halftime horn to give Dirigo its first lead of the night at 20-19.

That came after a first quarter that belonged to Noonan. He exploded for 11 points and a pair of blocked shots out of the gate. Under his direction, Boothbay's defense hounded Dirigo into 1-of-10 from the field on the way to a 13-3 lead.

Noonan, meanwhile, couldn't miss with an array of hooks, short baseline jumpers and drives.

"We don't seem to be quick starters, especially the way we've started down here," said Kane, whose team battled NYA's stall tactics to a 12-7 lead in the quarterfinals. "I don't know if they're trying to give me a few more gray hairs."