BANGOR — A frantic comeback by the Winslow boys basketball team fell just short.

Down 12 points midway through the third quarter, the No. 7 Black Raiders fought back to tie No. 2 Orono in the fourth. But the Red Riots were able to bounce back and pull out a 59-54 victory in a Class B North quarterfinal Friday night at the Cross Insurance Center.

Andrew Poulin led the comeback for Winslow (13-6), scoring 23 points — 11 of which came in the fourth quarter — while Jason Reynolds added 16 points and seven rebounds.

Winslow's Andrew Poulin (30) takes the ball to the hoop as Orono's Javier Alicea Santiago (30) defends during the Class B North boys basketball quarterfinals Friday at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. Michael G. Seamans

“Win or lose, I’ve been proud of this team right along,” Winslow head coach Ken Lindlof said. “They developed a deep bond. They’re the kind of kids you want to take into battle. We were just a few plays short. We knew (Orono) would spread the floor and shoot and that’s just what they did.”

Ellis Spaulding led Orono (17-3) with 17 points, while Pierce Walston added 16 points.

Winslow jumped out to a quick lead in the first quarter, but Orono fought back to tie the game at 12 by the end of the period. Winslow jumped out again, gaining confidence in its 3-point shot in the second quarter, but the Red Riots answered with its run, punctuated by a Spaulding put-back that gave his team a 23-22 lead at halftime.

“Often times it’s two steps ahead, one back. Sometimes it’s two steps ahead, three back,” Orono head coach Ed Kohtala said. “The Winslow kids had a lot to do with that tonight. I’ve known coach Lindlof for a long time, he’s a great basketball coach. You know his kids are going to be prepared, you know you’re going to have to work for everything you get. That’s what I knew going in… Winslow played with a toughness that they typically do.”

Winslow’s Andrew Poulin (30) takes the ball to the hoop as Orono’s Javier Alicea Santiago (30) defends during the Class B North boys basketball quarterfinals Friday at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

Down 36-24 at one point in the third quarter, Winslow fought feverishly throughout the final two periods, outscoring Orono 23-20 in the fourth quarter, with Poulin leading the charge.

“We knew (Reynolds) was going to come out hot, as he did,” Walston said. “In the second half, we focused on shutting him down. In shutting him down, it forced Poulin to do some stuff. Once we got into both of them, we just took it from there.”

“The Poulin kid, he gets so much done,” Kohtala added. “He just kept making big plays and big plays. Reynolds is a tremendous high school player.”

Tied 49-49 with just over two minutes to play, a Walston layup and Spaulding 3-pointer helped Orono take over the lead and, eventually, the win.

“I was feeling it all night, I was feeling really confident,” Spaulding said. “We had the amount of time and I felt confident, so I took the shot and I made it.”

Dave Dyer – 621-5640

ddyer@mainetoday.com

Twitter: @Dave_Dyer