There’s no better matchup in Maine high school basketball than a rivalry game between two teams with a long history. And there may be no better time in Maine high school sports than the February basketball tournament.
Add those two things together, and you have magic on the hard court.
That was certainly the case on Saturday at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, as longtime rivals Ellsworth and Mount Desert Island met in the Class B North boys tournament.
The teams, and their schools, know each other well. The Eagles and Trojans split two games during the regular season. And beyond the overlap on the basketball court, there’s plenty of crossover between Ellsworth and Bar Harbor communities as well.
“It’s a healthy competition,” said Paige Morse, a teacher in Ellsworth.
She pointed out how the students at both schools are interconnected by friendships and shared resources like the local YMCA.
“The students are very connected, and our community is very connected,” Morse said. “So it’s kind of like a sibling rivalry to me.”
And in the latest edition of that sibling rivalry, it was Ellsworth who came out on top after a hard-fought game of gritty defense and hustle plays. The Eagles withstood a late push by the Trojans to win 47-42.
Ellsworth head coach Matt Mattson knows all too well how connected the two teams are, noting that his boss is an assistant on the MDI coaching staff. A win in the tournament is always a big deal, Mattson said, but the rivalry win makes it even bigger.
“First of all, coming out with a win in general is super important, just because a lot of these kids haven’t been here before and our league is so hard,” Mattson said. “The MDI-Ellsworth rivalry, it adds even more to it.”
Ellsworth swooped in with relentless defense on Saturday, limiting MDI star guard James Witham to 16 points — no small feat given Witham’s ability. He led the Big East Conference in scoring by a mile with over 26 points per game during the regular season.
Whitham still led the game in scoring.
“James Witham is by far the best offensive player in our league,” Mattson said. “He’s athletic, he can shoot. He’s a problem.”
The Eagles had three different players trying to make things difficult for the MDI star throughout the night.
Ellsworth repeatedly turned fast-break opportunities and hustle on the offensive end into points. Senior guard Jackson Barry was a huge presence down low for the Eagles, scoring 13 points and hauling in 14 rebounds.
“I’m just trying to play my role. I’m a good rebounder — I like to think so at least,” Barry said with a smile. So just being physical.”
Barry thought Saturday was the largest crowd he’s ever played in front of, thanks to the legion of Ellsworth and MDI fans in Bangor.
“The Cross Center is a really great venue to play in,” he added.
Things got especially wild in the final minutes, with MDI narrowing what had been a double-digit lead for Ellsworth. Witham earned three foul shots and made all of them to cut the Eagles’ lead to 43-37.
Later in the fourth quarter, a timely steal by sophomore forward Kenneth Stillwell gave the Trojans a little more life with just over a minute left and his team down by 5. Junior MDI forward Dylan Stoll then got an offensive rebound off his own miss and finished through contact to push the game even closer at 43-40 with 54 seconds left.
But Ellsworth junior guard Colby Eaton helped close the door by tracking down a critical offensive rebound and knocking down two free-throws after getting fouled. That stretched the Eagles’ lead to 45-40 with 51 seconds remaining on the clock.
Jackson said he “100 percent” agreed that the relationship with MDI is like a sibling rivalry, noting that he has friends on the opposing team. His coach echoed similar sentiments.
“I honestly didn’t want to play them in the first round,” Mattson said, because he roots for them when they’re not playing head-to-head. “But we had a job to do, but we went out and I thought we did a pretty good job. Defensively, we played great.”
He agreed with the notion that the teams share a sibling rivalry.
“We want to beat the heck out of each other, and the crowds get all crazy, but when it’s all said and done, there are kids on that team that I’ll hug,” Mattson said. “Honestly, I wish I had half their kids playing for me. They’re just awesome human beings.”