Here we go.

For the second time in four years, Edward Little (18-1) and Lewiston (12-7) will meet in the Class A East boys’ basketball tournament at Augusta Civic Center.

Rarely if ever in the century-plus history of the Twin Cities rivalry have the stakes been higher. The winner at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday earns a berth in the regional final.

“EL and Hampden. It’s the invitational, right? The rest of us get to show up and participate,” Lewiston coach Tim Farrar joked. “There’s something about programs having that kind of success. I don’t think we’re at that level yet, but we get to play one of them next.”

No. 4 Lewiston played its best game of the year Monday — arguably many years — in an 89-51 quarterfinal rout of Cony No. 1 EL had a tough act to follow but took care of Brewer, 54-38.

EL swept the regular-season meetings, 65-57 in Auburn and 58-53 in Lewiston.

They collided in the 2012 quarterfinals, with seventh-seeded EL rallying from a double-digit deficit to upend second-ranked Lewiston, 60-52.

It’s a showdown of senior-dominated teams with clashing styles. The Blue Devils are basketball’s equivalent of the spread offense running against the Red Eddies’ I-formation.

“I think Tim already knows he probably won’t have to run his press breaker too much,” EL coach Mike Adams said. “We’re not going to press them for 32 minutes. We saw enough of that tonight.”

EL played in four consecutive Eastern finals from 2008 to 2011. This season is the 25th anniversary of Lewiston’s last appearance in 1990, when it played in the West.

“They’re all seniors like us. Our kids have been playing against them since they were wearing diapers,” Farrar said. “It’s just one those matchups. It’ll be great.”

Devils’ bench delivers

Stat of consequence in Monday’s morning session: Cony’s starters only outscored Lewiston’s bench, 32-31.

Abdinassir Issack led the charge  with three 3-pointers. Quintarian Brown, a past starter who would perform in that capacity for most teams in the tournament, added eight points.”

“Nobody had a bad day. It was like next guy up,” Farrar said. “I’d just as soon have Trever (Irish) and Isaiah (Harris) play longer next game, but we had guys ready. I told Abdinassir, ‘You might get two minutes, but shoot it when you get in there,’ and he did.”

With Irish and Harris relegated to the bench and limited to two points apiece in the first half, Kevin Dillingham (five points, 10 rebounds) stepped up to anchor the frontcourt.

“That was big,” Ryan Bell, who led Lewiston with 16 points, said. “We got into foul trouble, and they stepped up big time.”

Tahj Fulgham (four points), Mohamedsidiq Hussein (three) and Tylon Myers (two) also had a chance to get comfortable with the open space at the civic center, which could pay dividends down the tourney road.

“They push us in practice, and they’re ready for game time when it comes,” Lewiston guard Ace Curry said. “It’s not easy in practice.”

No easy road for Cougars

For years, the idea of Dirigo having a potential route to the Class C West boys’ basketball final that didn’t include an MVC rival would have considered a break.

Those days are gone.

Dirigo rallied from a modest first-half deficit to take out Old Orchard Beach, 51-44, in the quarterfinals. The Cougars’ reward: a semifinal date with once-beatem Waynflete, the reigning regioinal champion and a winner over Class B West top seed Yarmouth earlier this season.

“Those teams down there are athletic. That was a big focus for us in the second half, to block out better and rebound,” Dirigo coach Travis Magnusson said. “We knew every first-round game was going to be a battle. Now once you get to the semis, it’s 50-50. It comes down to one or two plays. C is so good this year. I think it’s one if the best in the whole state.

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