B North boys semifinal recap

OT v MDI

The 3rd place Old Town Coyotes beat the 10th place Mount Desert Island Trojans 49-42 Wednesday morning in a Class B semifinal matchup.

The Coyotes have a record of 15-3 this season while the Trojans have a record of 8-10. Class B North has been highly competitive this season, most of MDI’s losses were close, and a few of Old Town’s wins were only by single digits.

The Trojans use a four out one in offense, looking to bounce the ball off of Jameson Weir, a Senior center. With five minutes left in the first quarter the score was 0-0 as both teams were still acclimating to the playoff climate. Weir grabbed an offensive rebound and scored the first basket of the match for a 2-0 lead.

Old Town ran through their fast-paced offense looking for Senior and Junior forwards, Brendan Mahaney and Emmit Byther. The Coyotes managed to take a 7-4 lead in the last seconds of the quarter. But, MDI’s Senior guard, Joey Wellman Clouse, stole the ball. Cal Hodgdon, a Junior forward, floated down the court for a fast-break layup making their deficit 7-6.

To open the second quarter, Byther cut down to the block where teammate Aiden Gomm, a Senior guard, connected with him for a quick basket. On the other end Freshman guard James Witham came alive. As he drives toward the basket he collects foul shots, stacking the Trojan’s points up. 

Along with Witham, Spencer Laurendeau, a Senior guard, started to wake up too. At the three minute mark he took a 16-15 lead for MDI from a foul shot. The end of the half approached and Old Town had been pushing the ball, hoping for a basket. Luckily, Jayden Powers, a Senior forward, was under the basket at the perfect time. He gathered an o-board rebound and scored two for a much needed Coyote basket. Both teams went into the second half tied 18-18.

MDI had a sense of urgency as they entered the second half of this game. A minute in, Witham drove to the baseline. He hit a floater after hesitating and losing his defender, plus he was fouled once he elevated. Witham made the bonus to put the Trojans up 21-18.

Rebounds seemed to be the most prized possession this game on both ends of the court. Hodgdon and Byther battled it out underneath while Gomm and Witham tracked down any free ball they could find. After a lot of lead changes, the Trojans found themselves down 26-24. Jay Haney, a Senior forward, made an up-and-under on the right block to tie the game going into the final quarter.

The Coyotes looked to run the court during the final eight minutes, which worked to their advantage. Gomm made an off-balance breakaway layup a minute in to advance Old Town’s lead 30-26. A minute later Grayson Thibeault converted the same basket to shut down MDI. 

With two minutes left in the game the Coyotes were up 42-28. Laurendeau tried his best to get back in the game with his layups and shooting; he even ended up being the high scorer with 14 points. However, it wasn’t enough. The Coyotes took the win 49-42.

Orono v Ellsworth

The 4th place Orono Red Riots upset the 1st place Ellsworth Eagles 53-38.

The Eagles and the Red Riots both have a record of 15-3. These teams played each other twice this season. Their first meeting was on December 14th in Ellsworth where Orono took the win 70-56. But, on January 11th at the Red Riots court, the Eagles won 62-49. So, that makes this game the ultimate tie breaker.

Ellsworth was well aware of who they needed to watchout for on Orono. They made a point to always communicate where Senior guard Pierce Walston was on the court. But, he’s not the only one to keep an eye on. Bergen Soderberg, a Sophomore guard, drained a corner three-pointer five minutes in, forcing Ellsworth to take a timeout. 

Down 8-1, the Eagles felt that it was time to start shooting. Junior guard, Brayden King, banked a triple with a minute left on the clock to keep Ellsworth energized. Time started to wind down as the Eagles stalled for the last shot. But the Red Riots weren’t having it. They stole the ball and lofted it to Will Francis, a Junior forward, for an alley oop-dunk to end the first quarter. Orono took the lead 11-5.

The Eagles were finding it difficult to penetrate Orono’s terrific helpside defense, leaving the paint a flooded territory. On the block with five minutes left in the half Red Riot Senior forward Mason Kenney made a ball fake. His defender went by him and he drove in for a layup making the score 13-5. 

Dawson Curtis, a Sophomore forward, and King worked hard below the basket to put points on the scoreboard. Curtis faked on the endline with three minutes left. He stepped by his defender for a deuce, kissing the ball off the corner. Then, King grabbed a rebound from a long three. He made the putback making their deficit 16-13 with a minute left. 

But, Orono shot right back. Kenney stuck a deep buzzer beater three in the last seconds, sending the Red Riots off at half ahead 23-15.

The Eagles put on an aggressive full court press in the second half that frazzled the Red Riots, but also provided them with some fast-break opportunities. Kyle Kenney, a Junior forward, elevated for the o-board rebound with six on the clock. He made the putback, cutting their deficit 25-17.

On the other side of the court, Ben Francis, a Senior guard, had control of the ball. He penetrated the paint then backed out looking for a teammate. Fortunately for the Red Riots, the Eagles left him alone and he pulled up for a triple. Orono gained a ten point lead off of Soderberg’s three-pointer in the last minute of the third quarter, propelling them to a 34-23 advantage.

Ellsworth slowly made a dent in their deficit in the fourth quarter. Chance Mercier, a Senior guard, lobbed the ball to Isiah Corson, a Senior center, on an inbounds play. Corson put up the shot in the middle of the paint for two. Down 38-27, Curtis drained a three-pointer with five left on the clock.

Walston, Soderberg and Will Francis shut out the game scoring 39 points combined, with Walston as the lead scorer with 16 points. Orono won 53-38.

PREVIEW:  OT v Orono

Orono will face Old Town in the Class C North regional finals on Friday, February 23rd at 7:45 in Bangor.

These teams have faced each other before in two outstanding games this season. On January 9th the Coyotes beat the Red Riots 56-54 at home with an overwhelming crowd. So, Old Town and Orono collaborated to move their next match to Memorial Gymnasium, “The Pit,” on the University of Maine campus where Orono took the dub 59-48.

For defense, both teams hustle to round up rebounds when the ball is loose on the floor. The Red Riots bring a high energy man-to-man while the Coyotes cling to the ball for steals

The Coyotes offense is determined by three key players; Mahaney, Byther and Gomm. Byther and Mahaney are double threats. They can work on the outside, draining jump-shots, but also thrive on the low post playing through contact. Gomm swerves through the defense, winding his way to the open basket collecting foul shots.

The Red Riots have a lot of contributors, similar to their opponents. Walston, as the point-guard, takes his time to find open teammates, but won’t hesitate to take his open shots. Will and Ben Francis take over as the centers on the court. They gather the rebounds on both ends, scoring easy putbacks and pushing the ball. 

As neighboring towns, this game is a big one.