WINTHROP - Winthrop senior Ezra Damm knows his Ramblers are widely considered heavy underdogs when they meet two-time defending state champions Calais in the Class C title game (Saturday, 9 p.m., Augusta Civic Center).

"We're going to have to play great defense," Damm said. "They're a high-powered offensive team. We're going to have to execute and pretty much play perfect, because, right now, we're 10 or 15-point underdogs to some people."

"Some people" does not include the Ramblers themselves, who are very confident despite going up against a team that has not lost since the quarterfinals of the 2005 Eastern Class C tournament, a span of 63 games, the longest winning streak in the state.

But the Blue Devils aren't just on a considerable roll - they are peaking.

"The tournament was probably some of the best basketball that we've played all year," Calais coach Ed Leeman said. "Defensively, I thought we focused a little bit better. We weren't giving up too many easy looks, which is key even if you're not shooting the ball well. The good news was we did shoot the ball pretty well."

That was bad news for Calais' three eastern Maine opponents, Dexter, Houlton and Lee Academy, who fell to the Blue Devils by an average of 21 points per game.

Calais' reign began in 2006 with a 56-49 win over Winthrop at the Augusta Civic Center. Senior guard Sam Bell, who led Calais while averaging 16 points per game this season, is one of two Blue Devils who saw playing time in that game. Cal Shorey, now a starting junior forward, was that team's freshman sixth man.

Bell, a point guard,

"He doesn't look like a basketball player, but he is solid," Winthrop coach Dennis Dacus said. "He's not as quick as Sam Leclerc, but he's very good at using his body. He can back you down like

Like Winthrop, which had 6-foot-4 senior Larry Foster step up his performance in the post-season, Calais got a big boost from 6-foot-4 senior forward Rod Tirrell. Like Foster, Tirrell can score inside or step out behind the 3-point arc.

The Blue Devils have other options, mainly junior guard Jordan Leeman, the coach's son, and freshman Cam Shorey, who is reenacting his older brother's former role as the team's freshman sixth man.

Senior point guard Sam Leclerc and senior forward Tim Gingras are the two remaining starters from Winthrop's 2006 team. Both bring athleticism that the Ramblers (20-1) believe can help them overcome Calais' size advantage.

"I think if we run against them and we shoot well, we'll have a good chance," Foster said.

But don't expect Calais to be too concerned with slowing the game down.

"We don't hold onto the ball for too long. It's just not our character," Leeman said.

Leclerc, the MVP of the West regional and a nominee for Mr. Basketball, led the Mountain Valley Conference while averaging 20.7 points per game this season. Even though that number dipped just slightly in the tournament (19.3), Winthrop needed other players, such as Foster (14.7 ppg in the tournament) and Damm (10.7 ppg), to pick up the slack while outdistancing its opponents by an average of 10 ppg.

"Every night we have other guys stepping up other than Sam," Winthrop coach Dennis Dacus said. "That's the key to this team."

The Ramblers will need that balance and perhaps more scoring from role players Zach Farrington, Andrew Smithgall and David Ketchen. Winthrop's hopes for its first gold ball since the Jeff Love and T.J. Caouette-led champions of 1993 may rest with an unlikely hero or two thriving in the hottest of high school basketball spotlights.

"I think we're deeper than Calais," Damm said. "I've seen two of their games and I really don't think they're deeper than us. We have three or four guys, maybe five in certain games, that can come in. After us four seniors, we have that fifth spot that kind of rotates - it's either Zach or Dave or Andrew, and all three of them would start for any other team in the conference."