AUGUSTA – Late in the third quarter Wednesday night, as reality set in with every collective glance at the Augusta Civic Center scoreboard, the Cape Elizabeth student section relied upon the only credible chant left in its repertoire.

“We beat Falmouth! We beat Falmouth!”

Memories of an emotionally charged upset of the top seed in the Western Class B boys’ basketball tournament will linger with the Cape faithful for years to come. In a setting where you’re only as good as your last performance, however, No. 8 Cape’s curtain call was no match for No. 4 Lake Region in a 84-65 semifinal defeat.

Andrew Beal led the Lakers (17-3) with 31 points, including 24 in the second half.

Jon Marstaller delivered one of the top individual showings of the tournament with 24 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and seven blocked shots.

The presence of Jonathan Gilson (13 points, seven assists, six rebounds) and James Oberg (10 points, six assists) gave Cape additional defensive fits.

Lake Region will make its first regional championship game in eight years, meeting No. 3 Gorham at 8:45 p.m. Friday.

Cape (8-13), which also needed a preliminary game win over Poland to make it to Augusta, led briefly in the first half and trailed by only six, 33-27, at the half.

But Beal scored 13 in the third period to key a 23-8 surge. Gilson and Marstaller’s distribution and ability to run the fast break turned out the lights on the Capers.

Lake Region committed only one turnovers in the third period and held Cape to 4-for-15 shooting.

Liam O’Shea led Cape with 19 points. He nailed five 3-pointers. Nick Welch had 18.

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