Ellsworth hands Old Town first loss in Class B battle

The Ellsworth Eagles defeated the Old Town Coyotes Monday evening.

Old Town is ranked first in boys Class B North and has a record of 12-0, while Ellsworth is ranked fourth with a record of 9-2. 

Last time these teams met the Coyotes took the home-court advantage dub by twelve points. However, an hour drive to the Eagles could generate difficulty for Old Town. 

Class B North has been highly competitive this season. Some of the Coyote’s most recent wins have been dangerously close leaving little room for error on the court. But, the same can’t be said for the Eagles; their last three games have been won on average by 35 points. 

Old Town and Ellsworth have already faced second ranked opponent Orono and have come out on top with the win. Though, one of these teams struggled to get by the Red Riots. The Eagles won by thirteen points and the Coyotes only won by two with the home-court advantage. 

The Eagles depend on their speedy driving-centered offense to score. Though, their defense proves to wreak havoc on their opponents. The Coyotes have several skilled players that can thrive in any position on the court, making this match-up the star of the season.

The Eagles came out running a man-to-man on defense, which caused a lot of trouble for Old Town. Scoring in the first quarter was low until the five minute mark when both teams picked up the urgency. Sophomore forward, Dawson Curtis, grabbed an offensive rebound for the Eagles. Whipping it out to teammate Hollis Grindal, a Junior forward, for a triple to make the score 5-1 Ellsworth.

Old Town’s Senior sharp-shooter forward, Brendan Mahaney, came back with a setup three-pointer. Taking his time he drained the triple to cut Ellsworth’s lead 7-4 with four minutes to go. But, that wasn’t the last of Mahaney. He hit another three with a minute-thirty left making his team's deficit just one point. Ellsworth took the lead 15-12 at the end of the first quarter.

Thirty seconds into the second quarter, Eagle’s Senior forward, Chance Mercier, made an old-fashioned three-point play. Announcing his “and-one” outloud, he fueled the home crowd for the rest of the game. Though, Mahaney hushed the crowd with another three-pointer. Mercier shot back by drawing an offensive foul on Emmitt Byther, a Junior forward for the Coyotes.

Mercier then hit two baseline fade-away jumpers in a row, collecting an extra free throw on one of them. Down 37-23, the Coyotes looked to shoot more from the outside. Mahaney drained what was thought to be the last perfect three of the quarter. However, Mercier hit a three with ten seconds left to put Ellsworth at an advantage. The Eagles led 40-23 at half.

Old Town came out with a chip on their shoulder. Byther, specifically, contributed many points this quarter. He made a slick jumper on the foul line, a pump-fake layup and a three pointer that cut Ellsworth’s lead 40-31. Senior guard Aiden Gomm swished a shot from the crest of the arch with two minutes left; he made the deficit 43-36. Then, Gomm stole the ball directly after from the Eagles.

In the last two minutes of the third the Coyotes chased the Eagles and vice versa, causing players to run into each other and commit unruly fouls. As the clock wound down from five seconds Mahaney collected an outlet pass. He went full court for the final deuce of the quarter. Ellsworth still led going into the fourth quarter 47-39.

The Coyotes continued to push this quarter. Byther made a beautiful lob pass from the baseline to Mahaney on the block. He got fouled and capitalized on both bonus shots lowering their deficit 49-41. Old Town worked terrifically on defense keeping Ellsworth within close range. Byther was awarded with two free throws, making the first yet missing the second. But, Mahaney collected the rebound and, with the putback, cut the Eagles lead to four points.

Grindal made a post move for two with three minutes left, advancing Ellsworth’s lead to six points. With thirty seconds left in the game the score was 59-56 Ellsworth. In a desperate effort to get the ball back the Coyotes were ordered to foul. Mahaney got called with a flagrant foul when doing so, which caused Old Town Head Coach, Garrett Libby, to get a technical. The Eagles made their free throws and won the match 62-58.

Old Town plays again tonight, January 23rd, at home against Washington Academy. The Eagles will play away on Wednesday, January 24th, at Hermon.