OLD TOWN, Maine — Junior guard Tyler Beaton scored 26 points Thursday night as the Hermon boys basketball team defeated defending Class B state champion Old Town 54-49 at MacKenzie Gymnasium to end the Coyotes’ 23-game winning streak.
Beaton was hot from the perimeter early in the game, making 6 of 7 field-goal attempts — including two 3-pointers — during one stage en route to a 14-point first half.
He ended the night equally hot from the free-throw line, making 7 of 8 in the fourth quarter including his last six attempts consecutively.
Senior forward Joe Plummer added 11 points for the 10-3 Hawks while junior guard Donte Bennett came off the bench to added six key fourth-quarter points for coach Mark Reed’s club.
Senior forward Adam Richardson scored 14 points and senior guard Eric Hoogterp added 13 for 13-1 Old Town, which with the defeat and losses earlier this week by Class A Edward Little of Auburn and Class D Washburn left no undefeated teams left this season in Eastern Maine boys basketball.
Senior forward Mitchell Cole contributed nine points for the Coyotes.
Normally a man-to-man defensive team, Hermon played a 2-3 zone throughout the contest that frustrated Old Town’s fast-paced offense.
The Hawks also rebounded well enough out of their zone to limit the Coyotes’ second chances, and Hermon’s transition defense also helped limit Old Town’s fast-break.
Hermon, which jumped out to a 7-2 lead early in the contest behind five quick points from senior guard T.J. Verrill, but Hoogterp countered with seven points and Kaleb Gifford added a 3-pointer as Old Town rallied for a 14-11 lead by the end of the period.
Beaton found his touch in the second quarter, scoring 12 points during a period he ended by canning a fadeaway 3-pointer from the left corner to give Hermon its largest lead of the night at 28-22.
Old Town used halfcourt defensive pressure keyed by the 6-foot-4-inch Cole and the 6-3 Hoogterp to speed up the game at times after intermission, and that eventually enabled the Coyotes to take a one-point lead, including at 40-39 on two Richardson free throws with 6:06 left in the game.
But Beaton got hot from the line and teammate Ryan Kelly added two more free throws as Hermon regained the lead and held on down the stretch.
The win advanced Hermon from eighth place in Eastern Maine Class B to fifth, one spot behind Old Town. The teams will meet again on Feb. 5, the final night of the regular season.
