Jonathan Tangilamesu of St. Dominic Academy cuts down the net following the Saints' Class D state championship game against Schenck on Saturday in Bangor. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

BANGOR — The Gold Ball looked to be in hand during a dominant third-quarter run by the St. Dominic Academy boys basketball team.

Instead, as the final shot of the game was released, St. Dom’s senior Jack Brocke was sweating.

After trailing by 11 early in the fourth quarter, Schenck pulled within two points late in the Class D state championship game Saturday at Cross Insurance Center. Fortunately for the Saints, Schenck’s final shot merely grazed the rim, as St. Dom’s claimed a 34-31 victory in a game highlighted by two second-half runs.

“That was scary,” Brocke said. “When that shot went up, I was like, ‘Oh, crap.’ They fought us so hard, but we stayed disciplined and we are able to hang on. … It feels awesome.”

The Saints, who won their first state title, got 10 points and six rebounds from Taylor Varney, nine points and eight rebounds from Isaac Yombe, and 11 rebounds from Donel Tangilamesu.

Gavin Gagnon had nine points and five rebounds to lead Schenck.

The teams found themselves in a defensive slugfest early, with St. Dom’s blocking shots and Schenck forcing turnovers. The Saints (21-1) got it going in the second quarter with 3-pointers from Varney and Brocke, but the Wolverines answered with baskets from Gagnon and Sam Jacobs to take a 18-16 lead into the break.

St. Dom’s then took control in the third quarter, with a mix of scoring from Tangilamesu, Yombe, Brocke and Varney. A three-point play from Yombe capped a 15-0 run that give the Saints their largest lead of the game at 31-18.

“Coach (Josh LaPrell) made it really easy for us in the locker room,” Brocke said. “He just told us, ‘We’ve been here before — we’ve been down before — and it just comes down to us executing and making the plays,’ and we came out and did that.”

Schenck (20-2), though, wasn’t done — not by a long shot.

After a Gage Brown basket stopped the Saints’ run, the Wolverines scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter. Trailing 33-29 with less than a minute to go, Schenck made it a one-possession game on a steal and basket from Owen Wyman.

“We play 32 minutes. We’ve done that all year long,” said Schenck coach Aaron Hutchins. “At the end of the day, we left everything we had out there on the court, and that’s all you can ask for. The heart, the effort — I just love these guys to death. I’m really proud of them.”

The Wolverines got a chance to tie the game or take the lead after Brocke missed two free throws, but they turned the ball over. After Jonathan Tangilamesu made one of two free throws at the other end with 8.3 seconds left, Brayden Osborne’s 3 came up short.

Although St. Dom’s only scored one basket in the fourth quarter, it was a big one. It came courtesy of Yombe, with just under four minutes to go, as he grabbed the rebound of a Jonathan Tangilamesu miss and put it back for a layup.

“I got the rebound right where I like to get it, and I put it up, saw it go in, and I knew it was over,” Yombe said. “I have to give all the credit to my teammates … (I give credit to Schenck), too. They’re a great team, and they’re tough, but we dug deep and came out with the win.”

Although Yombe expected the game to be as tough as it was, Brocke didn’t. Gagnon’s versatility in the paint wowed the 6-foot-5 Brocke, who gave the Wolverines credit for their resilience after trailing for a good chunk of the second half.

Pulling it off, then, was that much sweeter — and the prospect of celebrating the first basketball championship for a school known for raising hockey banners was something that had LaPrell overjoyed.

“This is going to be such a great memory for these guys,” LaPrell said. “I’m just so happy for these boys. They earned every moment of what is going to happen. They’re such a great group to coach.”