Storm Jipson darted after a loose ball bouncing toward the sideline. He saved it from going out-of-bounds with his right palm and, in a motion, spun the ball behind his back to teammate Wol Maiwen, breaking to the opposite end of the court. Maiwen collected the pass in stride and finished with a one-handed dunk.
It was early in the Class AA North boys’ semifinal Tuesday in Portland, giving Edward Little High School of Auburn just a 6-2 lead over Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School midway through the first quarter.
But it showed what the second-seeded Red Eddies were capable of, as the reigning state champions kept the No. 3 Vikings chasing in what ended as a 55-41 Edward Little victory.
After their dish-and-dunk play in the first, Jipson and Maiwen continued to put on a show, with the junior Jipson scoring 17 points and the senior captain Maiwen adding another 21. Teammate Max Creaser tacked on another 10 points.
Spencer Strong led Oxford Hills with 15 points.
The result was a near repeat of last season, when the Red Eddies eliminated the Vikings in the semifinal round by a 55-33 score.
The Eddies improve to 18-2 on the season, while the Vikings finish their year with a 13-7 mark. The Eddies will next play in the regional final Friday night at 6:30 p.m. in Portland.
