AUGUSTA - Every scouting report on Dirigo laid out the same plan for beating them - swarm Thomas Knight and Colby Knapp in the post and make the guards beat you. But Winthrop, which had beaten everyone but the Cougars to that point, took a lesson from two close losses.

The Ramblers followed the standard blueprint to those two defeats. Saturday night's game plan didn't veer too far from it, except for one twist - whomever was guarding Wes Gagnon was guarding him even if he decided to quick-cut to the concession stand.

"Looking at the two games we played, he was the guy that killed us," Winthrop coach Dennis Dacus said. "Knight's going to get his. Knapp's going to get his. But we just said we're not leaving Gagnon. Ketchen and Farrington never left him."

Knight and Knapp got theirs, combining for 35 points. They were also bothered enough by everyone but Ketchen and Farrington that they missed a number of close shots. And more importantly Gagnon, who had made the Ramblers pay for doubling down off of him, rarely was able to get a shot off and finished with four points. Hence Winthrop won its second regional title in three years and fifth in school history.

Farrington, a 5-foot-8 starting guard, and reserves Ketchen, Jake Steele, Andrew Smithgall are all juniors whose contributions became more apparent as the tournament went on.

Western C tournament MVP Sam Leclerc and fellow seniors Larry Foster, Ezra Damm and Tim Gingras were the Ramblers' biggest weapons in Augusta and all season, but Winthrop (20-1) also had more depth than most of the teams in the region. Smithgall scored 14 points in the three games, including seven points in the quarterfinal win over Hyde, to lead the bench brigade.

"Those guys have been giving me great minutes all year. They might not get as much as they want, but when they get out there, they play hard and usually make good decisions. Going nine deep all year has really helped us."

Their depth and all of their strengths will be tested next Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center, when they meet two-time defending state champion Calais (19-0), authors of the state's longest current winning streak, 63 games.

The Blue Devils, who beat Winthrop at the ACC, 56-49, in the 2006 championship game, shot an impressive 66 percent from the floor in their 77-54 dismantling of Lee Academy in the East final. Seniors Rod Tirrell and Sam Bell lead a team that beat its three opponents by just over 21 points per game at the Bangor Auditorium. But Dacus, who scouted Calais on Friday and was looking for more film of them on Sunday, said his team won't be intimidated.

"They're beatable. They won't like our transition," he said. "But they're big and strong. They want to get it inside. The Bell kid is tough to guard. He fades away excellent from eight to 10 feet."

To make sure their sharpness doesn't fade, the Ramblers will scrimmage Eastern B champion Maranacook from nearby Readfield on Tuesday.