A certain score was settled in Ellsworth on Thursday night, when the Orono Red Riots took down the Eagles on the road, 70-56.
It was a rematch of last year’s Class B regional title game, in which Orono upset No. 1 Ellsworth 64-56 before going on to win the state title game.
Ellsworth had swept Orono in the regular season last year, but the Red Riots flexed their championship pedigree on Thursday, cementing themselves as the region’s top team. All-Maine point guard Pierce Walston led the way for Orono, accounting for 25 points, 12 boards (five offensive), five dimes and four steals.
“I expected it to be a great battle to the end like it was,” Walston said. “I knew I had to be productive and get my teammates involved — Ellsworth’s arguably the toughest gym to play in, so it was a great experience.”
Orono used a 15-0 run to take an early 20-8 lead, but the Ellsworth student section remained loud and the Eagles hung around, keeping it within five late into the third quarter. The Red Riots finally stretched out a comfortable lead in crunch time, neutralizing Ellsworth’s last-ditch high press with football passes to gridiron stars Ben and Will Francis for some easy lay-ups.
Senior forward Ben Francis finished with 19 points, and his younger brother Will finished with seven points, two offensive boards, an assist and a block.
“It’s always a tough atmosphere here — you can’t hear yourself think — but we’ve been playing together for so long that we stay level-headed and play at our own pace,” Ben Francis said. “We can slow it down in the half court, or get out in transition.”
Ellsworth countered Walston and company with a Mr. Basketball candidate of their own in small forward Chance Mercier, who finished with 21 points for Ellsworth. Senior guard Josiah James-Chin and senior center Isaiah Corson put up 10 points apiece.
Ellsworth head coach Peter Austin echoed Orono’s sentiments about pace on both ends of the floor being a factor on Tuesday night.
“There was no offensive flow for us; we didn’t move the ball like I wanted to,” Austin said. “Today there was a lot more dribbling and a lot less passing — Orono’s a good team, that’s why they won states last year.”
Orono improved to 3-0 on the year, while Ellsworth moved to 3-1.
Next up, Orono will play Hermon at home on Saturday at 2:30 pm, and Ellsworth will host MDI on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
The Eagles and Red RIots will meet again in the New Year, on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. in Orono.
