Ellsworth remains undefeated after battling Caribou
The undefeated Ellsworth Eagles beat the Caribou Vikings Saturday afternoon.
The first ranked Eagles have had a very successful season this far. They hold a record of fifteen wins and zero losses with their closest win being by five points against Old Town at the beginning of this month.
Caribou, ranked third, sits below Old Town in the heal points. The Vikings have a record of eleven wins and three losses with their highest scoring game being eighty-one points.
The Vikings faced the Eagles back in December and lost by fifteen points at their home gym. So, the haul to Ellsworth could cause a few issues for Caribou.
Both teams work very hard on defense which causes their opponents to struggle with turnovers and second chances. Ellsworth has a couple sharp-shooters that they rely on for offense while Caribou works from their point-guard.
Ellsworth started this game with urgency. Elizabeth Boles, a Sophomore forward drained a three-pointer thirty seconds into the game to give the Eagles a boost. On the opposite team belongs Junior guard Madelynn Deprey, a threat to any team she faces. Ellsworth made it an obvious point to double team her when possible, which caused a lot of turnovers for Caribou.
Down 6-0 with two minutes left in the first quarter the Vikings finally turned up the energy. After a few layups, Deprey drained a three from the top of the arch for the one-point lead on an isolation play. She then drove into the paint on the next possession where she got fouled. Making both bonus shots, Deprey put her team ahead by three points. Caribou led 11-8 at the end of the first.
Junior forward, Liv Adams gave Caribou many second chances as she worked in the paint to disrupt Ellsworth’s defensive rebounds. Adams then made a drop-step move and was fouled putting her team up 13-8. The Vikings certainly upped their defense in the second quarter, holding the Eagles for a minute possession with no scoring.
Ellsworth began to make their comeback at the three minute mark. Junior guard, Elise Sargent, popped a three from the crest of the arch to tie the game 17-17. The Eagles had a one point lead with a minute thirty left in the half. Sargent made another triple to give Ellsworth the advantage. The Eagles led 25-20 heading into the second half.
For the Eagles, Aaliyah Manning, a Senior forward, secured an o-board rebound. She made a spin move for the deuce putting her team up 27-22. From then on, Ellsworth decided they wouldn’t miss any three-pointers. Junior forward, Grace Jaffray stuck the triple along with Freshman guard, Sydney Mason.
Caribou was down by nine points with a minute thirty left in the third quarter. They had one possession with several offensive rebounds, but didn’t capitalize on their efforts. Deprey hit two bonus shots near the end, making the score 47-34 going into the last quarter.
Ellsworth continued to push the ball until the end of the game, worrying Caribou by increasing their deficit. Deprey and Adams worked hard to get the score where they wanted it to be with offensive rebounds and fast shots. But despite their efforts, the Eagles took the win 70-50 in the end.
The Vikings play on Wednesday, January 31st at Fort Kent Community. The Eagles play at Washington Academy on Friday, February 2nd.
