BANGOR, Maine — The Orono Red Riots bested Oceanside 56-48 in front of a packed house at the Cross Insurance Center Friday night, taking a lead on their first possession and never relinquishing it, winning their second straight Class B state championship over the Mariners.
As they had all postseason, the No. 4 Red Riots played masterfully in the first and final quarters of their game versus undefeated Oceanside, beginning with sophomore Bergen Soderberg hitting a 3-pointer right from tipoff, and ending with senior Ben Francis making a layup to beat the final buzzer.
Orono senior point guard Pierce Walston finished with 16 points, seven assists and three steals, and Ben’s younger brother Will Francis added 15 points, nine rebounds (six offensive) and two blocks.
On defense, the Red Riots held Oceanside’s fearsome, 1,000-point scoring Galley twins to 19 points and five assists total. Carter and Cohen Galley had previously been averaging more than 50 points and eight assists per game, en route to a 21-0 record and Oceanside’s second consecutive Class B south regional championship.
“We’re not scared of any team. We come out here and expect to win every single game, even when [nobody] expects us to win,” Ben Francis said. “We love playing together, and we love winning. We felt a little underlooked again this year, but we knew we were just as good as they were.”
Trailing 17-7 halfway through the first quarter, the Mariners from Rockland gradually clawed their way back into the game, culminating in two blocks and four consecutive points from freshman center Trevin Ripley to tie it 41-41 with 5:50 remaining in the fourth. With the Oceanside crowd rocking, Orono stayed calm and responded, as Ben Francis knocked down two foul shots and Will Francis snagged an offensive board for the putback layup.
Pierce Walston wrapped things up with an assist to junior Noah Schaff down low, and a layup off a bomb pass from Ben Francis coming out of a timeout, sending the Orono crowd into hysterics.
“It was a tremendously hard fought game. Every time it looked like we could get a little distance on them, they’d come back,” six-year Orono head coach Ed Kohtala said. “But every time Oceanside responded, we responded. There’s a reason the accomplishment of going back-to-back doesn’t happen often — this group is some gamers. Our attention seldom wavers in games.”
Orono had six players finish with at least six points: Walston, Will Francis, Ben Francis (seven points, two assists), Soderberg (two 3-pointers), starting senior center Mason Kenney (six) and junior forward Noah Schaff (six points off the bench).
Oceanside junior point guard Zeb Foster matched Walston with 16 points, and Ripley finished with 10 points, six rebounds (three offensive) and four blocks. The Galley brothers each snagged four rebounds and one steal.
“This group worked their tails off the entire year. This hurts me so much because I know how badly it’s going to hurt them,” five-year Oceanside head basketball coach Larry Reed said. “Give credit to the Orono defense, we didn’t have great opportunities in the half court set — their coach had a great game plan and they executed it very well.”
