Three of the four teams in the Eastern Class B boys basketball semifinals were considered contenders for the regional title all season long. The fourth team is the lowest remaining seed still playing, in any class.
If No. 12 Mt. Desert Island is going to continue its impressive run through the Eastern B tournament, the Trojans will have to get by the top seed Medomak Valley on Wednesday night at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. The Trojans and Panthers will tip off at approximately 8:35 p.m., following the night’s opening game between No. 3 Old Town (18-1) and No. 2 Winslow (17-2) at 7:05.
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Winslow survived a scare from No. 7 Oceanside in the quarterfinals. The Mariners overcame a 14-point fourth quarter deficit to tie the Black Raiders before Winslow pulled away late for a 46-40 win. Guard Colby Robertson (20 points) and Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B Player of the Year Justin Martin (11 points) accounted for 67 percent of Winslow’s scoring in the win, and Winslow coach Jared Browne expects the senior duo to be the focus of Old Town’s defensive gameplan, a likely zone.
“Every time I’ve seen them, they’ve run a box and one on somebody. I’m going to guess that’s their gameplan,” Browne said.
The defending Class B state champion, Old Town is led by the senior duo of Adam Richardson and Eric Hoogterp, who combined for 49 points in the Coyotes 64-55 win over No. 6 Caribou in the quarterfinals.
“We’ve got two days to practice for (Old Town), and we’re going to be ready to go on Wednesday,” Browne said.
Old Town may be without senior Mitchell Cole, who was injured by a hard foul from Caribou’s Dayne Savage on Friday. Savage was ejected for the intentional foul, and Cole needed stiches in his chin. Cole is one of the Coyotes’ top defensive players.
Winslow will have to improve from the free throw line. Against Oceanside, the Black Raiders made just 12 of 27 foul shots.
Mt. Desert Island struggled in the regular season, winning just five games, but the Trojans are peaking. MDI beat No. 5 Ellsworth in the preliminary round before knocking off No. 4 Gardiner in the quarterfinals.
Riley Swanson scored 19 points for the Trojans in Saturday’s win, while Russell Kropff scored eight points in the fourth quarter.
If the Trojans’ run is to continue, they’ll have to find a way to slow down Medomak Valley guard Nicholas DePatsy. One of the top scorers in the KVAC, DePatsy scored 28 points in the Panthers’ 60-39 quarterfinal win over Maine Central Institute.
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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