Tied after two quarters and tied after three, the third-seeded Old Town boys basketball team outscored No. 10 Mount Desert Island 23-16 in the fourth quarter of Wednesday morning’s Class B North regional semifinal matchup at the Cross Center in Bangor, winning it 49-42.
Old Town improved to 17-3, and will play the winner of No. 1 Ellsworth and No. 4 Orono on Friday, Feb. 23 at 7:45 p.m.
Unable to find their shooting stroke from distance — the Coyotes’ bread and butter all season — Old Town relied on its stout team defense and veteran leadership to outlast the underdog Trojans, conceding just one 3-pointer and five offensive rebounds all game.
The Coyotes opened up the fourth with two free throws from senior forward Brendan Mahaney, and then quickly turned two steals into four fast break points from senior guard Grayson Thibeault to take a 32-26 lead. Losing their grip on the game, the Trojans played more and more desperately down the stretch, facing a double-digit deficit just a couple minutes later.
“We try to have our defense feed our offense. That’s what gave us a spark — a couple good defensive plays gave us some momentum to transition and get some buckets,” Old Town head coach Garrett Libby said. “That’s what carries you when you’re off shooting. I could tell they were struggling, but they stayed disciplined and tried to keep battling.”
In the regular season, Old Town averaged 6.6 made 3-pointers per game, but failed to make a single one on Wednesday morning. Instead, the Coyotes got their points by powering to the hoop, knocking down 15 free throws and snagging 10 offensive rebounds.
Old Town senior guard Aiden Gomm led all scorers with 12 points and two offensive rebounds. Mahaney, Thibeault (three assists, one steal) and junior Emmitt Byther (five offensive rebounds, three blocks) all tacked on 11 points apiece.
“[The win] shows how hard we work, and that even on an off day we can battle with anyone and get that win,” Thibeault said. “We weren’t ever nervous, because we know what this team can do. We just had to find a way to get that out of us.”
MDI was led by senior guard Spencer Laurendeau (14 points), freshman guard James Witham (nine points), senior center Jameson Weir (six points, three offensive rebounds) and senior guard Joey Wellman-Clouse (two points, two assists, two steals). The Trojans finished their season 10-11, after upsetting No. 7 Bucksport in the preliminary round and then No. 2 Maranacook Community in the regional quarterfinal.
