Caribou takes both wins in Old Town doubleheader
Girls
The Caribou Vikings (16-1) sit at first in the girls Class B North standings and haven’t lost since December 21st, which was to MDI by 7 points. The Old Town Coyotes (11-6) are just below the Vikings and are coming off a 35-20 loss to Hermon. These teams already played each other where Caribou came out on top with a 62-40 win.
Old Town made the first basket of the game from Junior guard, Sophie Morgan, on a baseline jumper. The first quarter was sparse in the points department from both teams. This is partly due to the Vikings aggressive press that was enacted in the very beginning of the game.
Both teams were stuck in the middle of the court, plagued with turnovers from fouling and each others’ effective defense. Finally, Lily Bell, a Freshman guard for the Vikings, scored off a pass from Senior guard, Madelynn Deprey, taking the lead 4-2 with two minutes to go in the first.
Down 5-2, Elizabeth Magoon, a Senior guard, elevated to collect the o-board rebound tallying two for the Coyotes. Caribou led 5-4 at the end of the first quarter.
Head Coach for Old Town, Heather Richards, brokedown her team's defense during the break, directing them on how to properly stop Caribou’s offense, and it worked. The Coyote’s helpside defense drastically improved. This took away easy, open shots, for their opponent.
Deprey and Karina Dumond, a Junior forward for Old Town, were constantly attacking the board, securing several extra chances for their teams. The Coyote’s went on a bit of a scoring run, finding themselves up 13-5 off of Junior guard Taylor Madden’s three with five minutes before half; forcing the Viking’s Head Coach, Kayla Brown, to call a timeout to reassess.
Caribou rallied behind Deprey and Senior guard, Brianna Levesque, to cut their deficit 15-14 with two minutes left. Deprey made a breakaway two for a one point lead, then a few seconds later Taylor Loring, a Junior guard for Old Town, nailed a three to retake the game. The Coyotes led 19-17 at halftime.
Old Town continued their impeccable ball-spacing, often leaving the key open for offensive attacks. Loring drove four minutes into the third, collecting the foul and cashing in both free throws for the 25-22 lead.
Bell tallied two for Caribou shortly after Loring’s play to stay within winning distance. However, Madden hit two free throws before the end of the quarter for a 30-26 lead.
The Vikings tightened up their defense in the last quarter, stealing the ball multiple times and denying second chance opportunities for the Coyotes. Levesque attacked the basket for Caribou, tying the game with 1:30 left at 34.
Old Town was outscored 10-4 in the final quarter, but had the last possession with ten seconds left, down by two.
The Coyotes shot the ball and missed. Luckily, Madden was on the baseline able to push the ball in bounds to Loring as it was falling out. She put the ball up from the offensive rebound and was fouled.
Down 36-34, Loring set herself up on the line with no time left on the clock and two free throws.
She shot the first and missed, handing the game to Caribou.
The Coyotes play their next game away at Greater Houlton Christian Academy on February 4th, at 6 p.m.
The Vikings play away at Presque Isle on February 4th, at 7 p.m.
Boys
The Caribou Vikings (16-1) are in first for boys Class B North with their only loss being to Ellsworth early in the season. The Old Town Coyotes (8-8) just lost to Greater Houlton Christian Academy the other night, but could have what it takes to overthrow Caribou in this game because they had defeated Ellsworth earlier this season.
When these teams played each other the Vikings took the win 79-45, blowing the Coyotes out of the water. However, Class B has been full of surprises this season, and this game is no exception.
Caribou came out with a quick lead. Senior guard, Kaymen Sargent, developed a hot hand early in the game. He hit a three to start the game and made two more, having 15 of the Viking’s first quarter points. Down 10-2 Old Town called a timeout to reconfigure their game-plan.
The Viking’s earned three fouls in a row due to their full-court press. Eventually, the Coyote’s usual scorer, Senior forward Emmitt Byther, began to heat up. He hit a jumper with thirty seconds left in the first, cutting his team's deficit to ten. Old Town was able to score another two with the clock winding down to get within a single-digit. Caribou took the first quarter 18-10.
The Coyote’s fed the ball more to their big-men in the second quarter. Senior center, Brady Paradis, stepped through the middle of the paint for two a minute in. Seconds later, he cashed another post-move for a 20-14 score.
When Old Town got within four points, Head Coach of Caribou Kyle Corrigan called a timeout.
The Viking’s began to crash the board more for second chance shots. Owen Corrigan, a Junior forward, spun for a step-back two on the block with five minutes to go, making the score 22-16.
With one minute left Senior forward, Dawson St. Pierre, collected an o-board rebound tallying two for the Vikings. But, Sophomore guard, Ethan Closson, charged down the court with the ball stopping on the block for a layup. Closson would go on to steal the ball again for another chance to score. Caribou took the halftime lead of 28-21.
Old Town worked hard to make up their lost points. Specifically Paradis, who was ejected at the five minute mark after he earned two technicals.
The score was 36-23 after the extra free throws from Caribou. Byther also wracked up a lot of free throws this quarter. Four minutes in, he made a post move and was whacked on the arm. He cashed both making the game 38-25.
The Coyote’s tried to stay in reach of the Vikings. But, Sargent wasn’t finished with his three-point reign. With three minutes to go in the third, he dropped one to propel Caribou’s lead 42-29. Byther made two more extra shots from the foul line to salvage Old Town’s score. However, Caribou was still ahead 42-33 at the end of the third quarter.
The final quarter was slower on the scoring side. Byther made a layup on a drive 20 seconds in. Besides that, no one scored until the 4:30 minute mark.
Old Town tallied up a bunch of fouls putting Caribou in the bonus. Tristan Robbins, a Senior forward for the Vikings, met up with the foul line many times and capitalized on each chance. Caribou finished out the game with their extra free throws from another technical foul, taking the win 58-41.
Caribou plays away at Presque Isle on February 5th, at 7 p.m.
Old Town plays at home against Orono on February 5th, at 7 p.m.
