No experience was necessary to stage one of the best Eastern Class A tournament games in recent memory Wednesday night.

Yusuf Iman, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer with three seconds left in overtime to give Edward Little a 60-57 victory over Bangor, is one of only two returning starters from last year’s regional championship team. James Philbrook is the other.

Iman scored all six EL points in overtime, while Philbrook scored 10 of his 15 in the fourth quarter.

“Corey (Therriault) left some big shoes to fill,” Iman said of last-year’s go-to performer at tourney time.

Of the other starters, only Bo Leary saw significant varsity time. His younger brother, freshman Quin, was on the court for most of the fourth quarter and OT Wednesday.

The same lack of previous time in the spotlight was true for perennial power Bangor.

“In the end there’s nothing that’s better than tournament experience,” said Bangor coach Roger Reed. “And at the end of the game tonight, with the exception of (junior) Zach Blodgett, those kids had never been in those games. So I think they played admirably well. We knew they had a little more experience and it might come down to turnovers and little mistakes. We hurried ourselves instead of finishing, and I think that cost us in the end.” Bangor committed 14 of its 21 turnovers after halftime.”

Making progress

Vacation week ended earlier than the St. Dominic Regional High School girls’ basketball team wanted.

Still, Tuesday’s 44-40 quarterfinal loss to Waynflete was a sign of continuing momentum for a program that hadn’t accomplished much in its history until the last three years under coach Paul Rheaume.

St. Dom’s has been knocked out twice by the Flyers, but the Portland school was No. 1 seed last February and No. 2 this time around. The Saints knocked off Hebron to reach the semifinals in 2008.

Tuesday’s game included a stirring comeback. St. Dom’s turned a 20-6 deficit into a 34-30 lead before the frustrating finish.

“We’ve got a good group coming back,” said Rheaume, who will bid farewell to senior starters Elise Applegate and Julia Richardson and captain and fellow co-captain Amy Kasabian.

“I feel for the seniors. They played so hard,” he continued. “You could tell by watching Julia Richardson, by watching all of them, they wanted this.”

The best news for St. Dom’s is that Allaina Murphy, already a 1,000-point scorer, has one more year of eligibility.

Support group

Prep schools don’t always have the benefit of a large spectator base for tournament games at Augusta Civic Center.

Support for A.R. Gould in its Western Class D semifinal against Vinalhaven on Wednesday, however, was widespread.

Players from Elan School of Poland Spring and Seacoast Christian of Berwick attended the game to support their friends and competitors from A.R. Gould. Elan and Seacoast were among the few teams that agreed to play road games against A.R. Gould at Long Creek Development Center in South Portland.

Elan and Seacoast students also stood outside the exit to the locker room and formed a tunnel as A.R. Gould students ran onto the court.

Gov. John Baldacci, who gave the go-ahead allowing A.R. Gould to compete in the tournament, attended the first half.

He saw A.R. Gould’s best stretch. The Bears bolted to leads of 10-3 and 20-9 and led for three quarters before losing their composure and the game, 55-45.

A crucial offensive goaltending call, a lane violation and two technical fouls sent momentum Vinalhaven’s way. Total fouls for the second half: A.R. Gould 10, Vinalhaven 3.