Ever since winning 44 straight games from Dec. 2017 to Feb. 2019 — including a Class B state championship in 2018 — the Hermon boys basketball team hasn’t won a single tournament game, failing to even appear in the big dance the past two years.
This year, things could change.
So far this season, the upstart Hermon Hawks (10-8) have already beaten No. 1 Ellsworth (15-3) and No. 5 Caribou (14-4) once apiece, and given the reigning champs Orono (15-3) a run for their money, falling 55-52 earlier this month. Virtually the youngest team in the region — Hermon has only one senior on its team — the Hawks have proven they can hang with the best of the best, and have orchestrated the region’s third best defense this year, allowing just 45.7 points per game.
“As long as we’re consistent we can beat any team, and we’ve shown that,” 6-foot-6 junior Maddox Kinney said. “We’ve all grown up and gotten stronger, and the energy we’ve brought this year has been a really big improvement. On the bench, in the game — the whole team — it’s just energetic.”
At 6 p.m. on Wednesday, the No. 6 Hawks will host No. 11 Washington Academy (10-8) — a team they’ve already beaten twice this regular season — for a preliminary game, where the winner will punch its ticket to a regional quarterfinal matchup with No. 3 Old Town (15-3) under the bright lights at the Cross Center in Bangor.
The Coyotes may be a heavy favorite with plenty of playoff experience, but the Hawks know how important a tournament appearance is for a rebuild, and are well aware that Old Town is beatable, too. On Jan. 11, in Hermon, the Hawks played the Coyotes to a 43-40 loss, nearly snapping Old Town’s 11-game undefeated streak to start the season.
“This group has worked really hard, and enjoys being around each other,” 16-year Hermon head coach Larry Reed said. “These kids have matured a lot in a year, and we’ve won a couple tough games this year that no one gave us a chance to win. Obviously that [tournament] stage is an experience in itself that you have to learn how to perform on, but I always believe that we go into a game with a chance to win.”
Recognizable by their stout defense and young roster, the Hawks are also extremely patient on the offensive end, which has helped them outduel pace-driven teams like Ellsworth and Caribou.
Down low, juniors Kinney and Bryce Edwards combine for 17.2 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, and shoot 46.1 percent from the field. Meanwhile, senior Madden Henderson is Hermon’s go-to point guard, averaging 4.3 points and 2.6 assists per game.
On the perimeter, sophomore Brody Hurd is Hermon’s leading scorer with 10.8 ppg on 47.1 percent shooting, and Maddox’s younger brother Mason Kinney is Hermon’s go-to 3-point shooter, averaging 5.1 ppg. Off the bench, sophomore guard Carter Wiggin adds another 5.6 ppg for the Hawks.
“We like to play how we want,” Maddox Kinney said. “We don’t want to let teams play how they want.”