Orono upsets first place Old Town in “The Pit”
The Orono Red Riots defeated first place Old Town Coyotes Tuesday evening.
As the regular season comes to a close in boys Class B basketball the rankings reveal competitiveness in the North.
The Red Riots are currently in fifth place with a record of 14-3, the same record as Ellsworth and Maranacook Community. This team is on a six game win streak which is sure to propel them in this match.
The Coyotes sit in first place with a record of 15-2, but have had a rough month. Their first loss was to Ellsworth by four points. Uncharacteristically, their second loss was to Caribou by twenty points, and it was their last game. Surely Old Town would like to make a statement after their loss.
These two teams faced off earlier this month at Old Town High School. The Coyotes stole the dub by two points and continued their winning from there. As neighboring towns the rivalry runs deep between Old Town and Orono, so there was a change of location for the game.
It was held at University of Maine’s Memorial Gymnasium, “The Pit,” due to an overwhelming number of fans at the last meetup.
Old Town relies on Senior forward, Brendan Mahaney, to take their outside shots and Junior forward, Emmitt Byther to clean up the key. But, with seven Seniors, Orono has a leg up in experience.
Orono won the jump and the crowd roared. Byther scored the first basket for the Coyotes, playing through contact that set a precedent for the whole game. Five minutes into the game, Bergen Soderberg, a Sophomore guard, drained a three pointer making the score 3-2.
The Red Riots played excellent man to man defense throughout the matchup. Senior guard Aiden Gomm hit a baseline triple with three minutes left in the first quarter to tie the game 8-8. Old Town shot back on the defensive end holding Orono for a minute straight possession leading to a turnover. The Coyotes scored a bonus free throw to take the lead 11-10 at the end of the first.
The physicality did not let up after the first quarter. Pierce Walston, a Senior guard, was the high scorer of this game with 17 points. One minute into the second quarter he made a layup, falling over the defense taking a two point lead for the Red Riots. Down by three, Gomm made a triple to raise Old Town’s lead 14-12.
Mahaney made his first basket of the game, and keeping with the trend, it was a three. He took the lead for Old Town with three minutes left in the half. Both teams traded three-pointers back and forth- draining them from everywhere on the court. Byther stole the ball to stop the repetitiveness. However, he passed it off to teammate DJ Francis, a Senior guard, for another triple. Old Town took the lead 26-23 heading into the second half.
Coming out from the locker rooms the Coyotes and the Red Riots were visibly tired. Both teams traveled several times this quarter on the arch, showing the lack of energy. Ben Francis, a Junior forward for Orono, made his first basket of the game at the six minute mark. It was a post move that cut his team's deficit 28-27.
Along with the travels, miscommunication plagued the court. The crowd screaming and the unknown territory that the court brought, created an atmosphere of stress for the players. With two minutes left the teams were scrambling on the ground to collect the ball. Finally, the Red Riots gained the ball for a layup making the score 37-34 Orono. But, Francis nailed a three pointer with 20 seconds left tying the game 37-37 at the end of the third quarter.
In the final quarter the competitors traded three pointers and layups until the three minute mark. The Red Riots were only up by one point when Francis made a layup; collecting an and-one, and making the bonus, he propelled Orono ahead 50-46.
As the clock started winding down tensions shot up. Byther was awarded a technical after complaining to the referees about fouls underneath, Walston cashed one of those bonuses making the score 53-48 Orono with a minute left. Francis made a huge steal for the Red Riots adding four points to the scoreboard to shut down first place Old Town. Orono took the win 59-48.
