BANGOR, Maine — The Mount Abram High boys’ basketball team saved one of its best defensive efforts for its biggest game of the season.
And the reward for the Roadrunners from Salem Township was the ultimate prize.
The Class C South champs limited the powerful Mattanawcook Academy offense to 1-of-12 shooting in the first quarter while Brennan Mitchell and Bryce Wilcox combined for 17 second-quarter points as the Roadrunners won their first gold ball with a 74-48 win over the Lynx of Lincoln at the Cross Insurance Center.
Mattanawcook was just 1 of its first 19 from the floor as the Roadrunners built a 34-16 halftime lead that was never threatened as coach Jeff Pillsbury’s club capped a 21-1 season in its first state championship-game appearance.
The Lynx, playing in the gold ball game for the first time since 1956, finishes 21-1.
The Roadrunners capped the first quarter on a 9-2 run to seize control of the contest, and that continued into the second as the duo of Wilcox (15 points) and Mitchell (19 points, eight rebounds) took over.
Wilcox was a torrid 3-for-4 from 3-point range in the second while Mitchell was a force in the post at both ends of the floor, hitting four of his five field-goal attempts.
But the Roadrunners’ focal point was clamping down on a Lynx team that came in averaging 77 points per game, and their aggressive man-to-man defense did just that.
“We knew they were good on offense,” Wilcox said, “So we came in just thinking defense, defense. That’s what our gameplan was.”
“He’s a fantastic player and he was one that we were worried about the most coming into this game,” Mattanawcook coach Adam Mahaney said. “We didn’t have our best stuff here tonight.”
Mount Abram would score the first 12 points of the second quarter, a stretch that included a pair of perimeter bombs from Wilcox. Chase Ross’ driving layup sent the Roadrunners into the locker room up 34-16.
The Roadrunners kept the pedal to the floor throughout the second half, squashing any dreams of a Lynx comeback with a 14-4 run to start the third quarter.
Mount Abram’s physicality on both ends of the floor wore down the Lynx throughout the game, and Mattanawcook could not get the deficit under 21 points.
“We were feeling pretty confident,” said Mount Abram senior forward Reagan Lockaby, the other Roadrunner in double figures with 15 points. “We knew they were going to be a good team. We played really good defense.”
Kooper McCarthy’s 13 points led the Lynx while Andrew Oliver had 10 and True Weatherbee nine, but Mattanawcook could never just find an offensive flow.
“If you can’t hit shots, you’re going to be in for a long game,” Mahaney said. “It was one of those nights. We played 21 good games this season and unfortunately this is the one we chose to not play our best basketball.”
The Roadrunners, who won a state title in soccer in 2023, certainly found redemption after losing in the regional final to Monmouth Academy last winter.
“We had so much talent and last year really hurt losing in the regional final to Monmouth,” Wilcox said. “This year we came back, we really worked as one together to win.”
