After a grueling back-and-forth battle, the fourth-seeded Old Town Coyotes took down the fifth-seeded Foxcroft Academy Ponies 52-43 in a Class B North boys quarterfinal on Saturday at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
The Coyotes will advance to play the winner of the Ellsworth Eagles and Washington Academy Raiders game, tipping off later this afternoon.
The teams battled defensively throughout, with neither side allowing any easy buckets. Ultimately, the Coyotes outlasted an unrelenting Pony side that fought until the final buzzer.
Though they started the game firing 0-for-7 from the field, with Grayson Thibeault shooting 0-for-4 himself, the Coyotes’ offense came alive late in the fourth quarter to preserve a 10-point advantage.
“We weren’t really in our element for the style of defense that we play and teach, so I was just trying to get them locked back in on the fundamentals,” Old Town head coach Garret Libby said of his team on its response in the second half.
The lead was the largest of the night for either side and served as a testament to the great defense that was played from start to finish across the entire court.
The Coyote’s final push was capped off with a bucket from Thibeault, who rebounded nicely and finished the day on 12 points scored.
Brendan Mahaney led the way for the Coyotes, finishing the day with 13 points and shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line.
On the other side of the ball, Foxcroft’s Caden Crocker led the way in scoring with 13. Though Foxcroft briefly stole the lead from Old Town at the start of the second half, the Coyotes remained focused and finished strong.
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