DIXFIELD — Things have changed in three decades, but not, apparently, the physical and mental toughness instilled in the Dirigo boys’ basketball team.

The Cougars opened a lot of eyes in rallying to win back-to-back Class C state basketball championships against Katahdin in 1982 and 1983. The first win, a 54-47, came in Augusta. The second, a 68-66 win, happened in Bangor.

“Kathadin scored 14 unanswered points to lead 14-2 in the first quarter,” former head coach Robin Marshall recalled. “We fought back to make it close from halftime to the fourth quarter, where we hit 10 straight foul shots at the end of the game to clinch the ’82 win. Legendary (Katahdin coach) Phil Faulkner stated it was the best foul shooting at the end of the game he ever saw.”

That 1982 team finished the regular season at 11-5, and began the tournament ranked fourth. The Cougars certainly were not considered serious threats, but their performances soon provided a different tale.

In the quarterfinal, Dirigo beat Valley, 68-57. They then upset No. 1 Jay in the semifinals, a team to which the Cougars had lost twice during regular season. But the third time was a charm, as Dirigo went 22-for-41 from the field and 20-for-24 from the line in a 64-58 win. In the regional final against Madison, Doug Clark hit a buzzer-beating jump shot, and the Cougars won in overtime, 67-65.

“Coach Marshall is one of the best coaches in the state,” said Jamie Robinson, who was a member of both championship teams. “Defense and rebounding was a staple to both teams. He also was a master at scouting and game-planning, giving his team detailed scouting reports of each opponent and a breakdown of every player on the opposing team.”

Robinson’s teammates on the 1982 team included co-captains Tom Kelly and Dean Carter, Brad Plourde, Doug Clark, Bob Leavitt, Caleb Bryant, Wayne Clark, Jay Blaisdell, Don Hebert, and John Knowles. Kelly was a fantastic shooter and Leavitt (at 6 feet, 5 inches) became one of the premiere big men in the state. He had never played basketball until his freshmen year.

Doug Clark was a standout on both teams, with the ability to make everyone better on the team. Clark had more 1,000 career points and was a Converse All-American in 1983.

The 1983 squad finished 14-2 and earned the tournament’s No.1 seed. The Cougars beat Georges Valley 77-64 and Winthrop 70-62 to reach another regional final against Jay. Again, it was an overtime thriller, and the Cougars came out on top, this time by a count of 67-66.

Dirigo had four starters foul out and Jay delayed two minutes (overtime then was three minutes). Leavitt scored on an isolation play and Jay missed a shot, but fouled sophomore Charlie Houghton, who was seeing his only time of the game with the starters out of commission.

“Jay called timeout to ice Charlie,” Robinson said. “Coach Marshall in the huddle asked us what time we wanted practice Monday and sent us back on the floor.”

Houghton made the front end of a one-and-one to put Dirigo up by three with 14 seconds left. There was no three-point shot, then.

The team had added Scott Holmes, Paul Mingo and manager Jay Ramey. Peter Murray joined the coaching staff.

“The players were very very close. They hung around together, on and off the court,” Marshall said. “They were not the most talented group I ever coached, but they played fundamentally better than any team I coached. Defense was a key for us, and kept us in games. We passed the ball very unselfishly, similar to this years team. But most of all we had a lot of fun.”

Holmes’ son, Ben, is on the current Western Class C championship team. Josh Turbide, another current Dirigo standout, is the son of Steve Turbide, who played for what is considered one of the most talented teams ever to play at Dirigo in 1979-80. That team lost to Hyde in the regional championship by three. Hyde went on to win the state title.