Senior guards Pierce Walston of Orono, Noah Hurd of Mount View and Jalen Reed of Bangor Christian each led their teams to regional basketball titles last week at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, outlasting everyone else in Class B, C and D North, respectively.
Their leadership, consistent production and clutch play shined brightest this February, earning themselves the Bangor Daily News William C. Warner Awards as the three tournament MVPs.
The all-tournament teams and MVPs were selected by media and tournament staff votes.
The Class B North team consists of Walston, Orono teammates Ben and Will Francis, and Old Town duo Grayson Thibeault and Emmitt Byther, who led the Coyotes to a runner-up finish.
The Class C North team features Hurd, teammate Wyatt Evensen, Calais duo Jeremy Turner and Kaeson Dana, and Micah Daigle of Fort Fairfield.
The Class D North squad is comprised of Reed, teammate Jesse Booker, Schenck duo Mason McDunnah and Owen Wyman, and Dylan Burpee of Southern Aroostook.
Class B
Walston was unanimously voted as the B North tournament MVP, guiding the Red Riots through a gauntlet of No. 5 Caribou, No. 1 Ellsworth and finally No. 3 Old Town.
In the regional final against the rival Coyotes, Walston tallied 29 points, six assists and four steals — one year after dropping 21 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds and three steals against undefeated Ellsworth in the 2023 regional final.
It was Walston’s second time winning tournament MVP, and Orono’s third consecutive regional final appearance, winning each of the last two.
Accompanying Walston on the all-tournament team for the second consecutive year are brothers Ben (senior power forward) and Will Francis (junior small forward) of Orono, who won a gold football with Walston this fall, and served as his go-to guys on the hardwood. The brothers combined to average 19 points per game, typically took on the toughest defensive assignments and were Orono’s leading rebounders.
Senior point guard Grayson Thibeault and junior power forward Emmitt Byther of Old Town also made the 2024 all-tournament team, leading the Coyotes to their first regional final since 2014.
Thibeault averaged more than 11 points and three assists per game, and Byther was the Coyotes’ leading scorer and rebounder, finishing with three double-doubles and more than 15 points per game.
Class C
The seventh-seeded Mount View Mustangs were one of the most exciting stories of the tournament, winning their four postseason games by a combined 108 points and becoming the lowest seed to qualify for a state title game this year.
Leading the Mustangs’ suffocating defense and lightning-quick offense was senior guard Noah Hurd, who averaged 23 points, four assists and 3.6 steals per game and earned all but one of the Class C North MVP votes.
Accompanying Hurd on the C North all-tournament team was senior backcourt partner Wyatt Evensen, who averaged 16.3 points, 2.6 assists and 4.3 steals per game. As a team, the Mustangs induced 21 turnovers against Fort Fairfield in the regional semifinals, and 13 turnovers against Calais in the regional final.
Calais senior guard Jeremy Turner received one MVP vote, and junior shooting guard Kaeson Dana was also named to the C North all-tournament team. The duo combined to average 20.6 points per game, leading the No. 1 Blue Devils past No. 8 Piscataquis Community and then No. 5 Hodgdon, before losing to Mount View in the finals.
Rounding out the all-tournament team was Fort Fairfield’s smooth senior big man Micah Daigle, who averaged 17.5 points per game for the No. 3 Tigers.
Class D
In Class D North, champion Bangor Christian and runner-up Schenck were far and away the two most talented teams, with two players on each team receiving MVP votes.
The Patriots’ senior guard Jalen Reed was ultimately the best player on the best team, posting 15 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals and three blocks in the regional final versus Schenck, and combining for 33 points in Bangor Christian’s first two wins.
Reed’s sophomore teammate Jesse Booker was a “bear on the boards” as five-year head coach Charlie Colson calls him, averaging 12.3 points and eight rebounds for Bangor Christian, earning one MVP vote.
Together, Reed, Booker and company went toe-to-toe with a bigger, taller Schenck squad in the paint, matching the Wolverines’ rebound total of 27 and holding them to just 25 total points in the regional final. Prior to Bangor Christian’s surprising victory over the favorites, Schenck was undefeated and had beaten the Patriots twice during the regular season.
Leading Schenck were lanky senior guard Mason McDunnah (15.3 points per game; four dunks against Wisdom in regional quarterfinal) and versatile junior forward Owen Wyman (7.6 points, six rebounds per game), each of whom earned one MVP vote.
Rounding out the D North boys all-tournament team was Southern Aroostook senior and reigning tournament MVP Dylan Burpee, who led the Warriors to two state titles the last two years.
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Here’s the full list of 2024 boys B,C,D North high school basketball all-tourney teams:
Class B
Pierce Walston, Sr., G, Orono (MVP)
Grayson Thibeault, Sr., G, Old Town
Emmitt Byther, Jr., F, Old Town
Ben Francis, Sr., F, Orono
Will Francis, Jr., F, Orono
Honorable mentions:
Chance Mercier (Ellsworth), Jameson Weir (MDI), Spencer Laurendeau (MDI)
Class C
Noah Hurd, Sr., G, Mount View (MVP)
Jeremy Turner, Sr., G, Calais
Wyatt Evensen, Sr., G, Mount View
Kaeson Dana, Jr., G, Calais
Micah Daigle, Sr., C, Fort Fairfield
Honorable mentions:
David Tuttle (Hodgdon), Kaden Small (Calais), Mickey Fitzsimmons (Machias)
Class D
Jalen Reed, Sr., G, Bangor Christian (MVP)
Mason McDunnah, Sr., G, Schenck
Jesse Booker, So., F, Bangor Christian
Owen Wyman, Jr., F, Schenck
Dylan Burpee, Sr., G, Southern Aroostook
Honorable mentions:
Conrad Straubel (Bangor Christian), Connor Edwards (Katahdin), Rajon Reed (Bangor Christian)