The third time was a charm for the Old Town High School girls basketball team.
After losing the previous two Class B North championship games, the Coyotes upset top seed and undefeated Ellsworth 58-42 in the Class B North title game last week despite being without second-leading scorer Taylor Loring (knee injury).
It is their second regional championship and their first in Class B.
The 1980 Old Town team captured the A North title before losing to Westbrook 88-66 in the state title game.
The 19-2 Coyotes will now play 21-0 Oceanside of Rockland in Friday’s 6 p.m. state title game at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
The four seniors on the roster will take a career playoff record of 9-3 into the game.
Tenth-year head coach Heather Richards said her team was determined to win it.
“This was one of their goals,” said Richards. “This was their third time (in a regional final) and they wanted to finish the job.”
She said her team is a close-knit group.
“They’re a great group of kids. They genuinely want to see each other succeed. They really believe in the ‘we’ factor. They know they need each other to accomplish anything.
“They know how to band together when things get tough. They tell each other that as long as they all give 110 percent and leave everything on the floor, they’re content with the outcome. It doesn’t always go their way but they at least know they’ve given it their best effort,” said Richards.
After losing to Hermon 45-30 in the 2021-22 B North final, the undefeated Coyotes were the top seed last season but lost to third seed Ellsworth 59-52 in the title game.
They lost both regular season games to the state champs this season (53-48, 69-50) and were decided underdogs going into last Friday night’s final, especially with Loring sidelined. Loring averaged 11.8 points, 2.6 steals and 2.6 assists during the regular season and Richards said she will also miss the state game.
But senior forward and leading scorer Saige Evans (18.9 ppg, 13.1 rpg) erupted for 26 points and 16 rebounds after scoring just four in the 37-35 semifinal win over Caribou and was chosen the Owen Osborne winner that goes to the Most Valuable Player; senior guard Alexis Degrasse had 17 points, seven assists and two steals and senior guard Makayla Emerson contributed nine points and five rebounds.
“Saige is one of those unselfish players who does what the team needs. She knew with Taylor going down, she would have to step up in the scoring category and that’s what she did,” said Richards about the former Big East Player of the Year.
“Makayla has been in a shooting slump this year but has picked it up on the defensive end and can make clutch shots when she needs to. She was clutch in an overtime win at Caribou and against MDI (Mount Desert Island) in the semifinal,” said Richards.
Emerson’s foul shot tied the MDI game and her driving layup with 2.5 seconds left won it.
“She’s also a great defender and rebounder,” said Richards.
Degrasse averaged just 5.6 points during the regular season but her 15 against Ellsworth were important.
“She had a great game. She always had to play the other team’s best offensive guard so she tends to get tired. She knows her role is to play defense but she came up with a floater (shot) during the season and relies on it. She knows when to use it,” said Richards.
Degrasse held Ellsworth scoring leader Grace Jaffray (22.4 ppg) to 12 points.
Another subtle but important contributor was junior guard Liz Magoon, who was filling in for Loring.
“She stepped up big. She did everything we needed her to do: get rebounds (4) and assists (5). She did what she does best and that’s what we needed,” said Richards.
Their other senior, Danica Brown, chipped in with four points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Ellsworth coach Andy Pooler said Old Town was “on a mission” and displayed a lot of “senior intensity” in the game.
“They played really well,” said Pooler. “You have to tip your cap to them. They deserve it.
“Evans was awesome,” he added.
Another key to Old Town’s success is its athleticism.
Virtually all of their players are two or three-sport athletes.
The 2021 field hockey team won the B North title; the 2022 soccer team lost to Hermon in the B North final and last year’s softball team reached the B North semifinals.
Richards said facing a much taller Oceanside team and their all-state post player Bailey Breen will be a stiff challenge but she knows what they have to do to have success.
“They’re tall and skilled. They have a good inside and outside game,” said Richards. “We’re going to have to limit Breen’s touches and not allow their outside shooters to get clean looks at the basket.
“We want them to have to go east and west rather than get downhill and go to the rim. And we have to limit them to one shot (by boxing out and rebounding),” said Richards.
