BANGOR- Kooper Kinney made his only field goal at the perfect time for the Easton Bears on Thursday night at the Cross Insurance Center. Kinney put in a basket with 30 seconds remaining to give Easton a 50-48 win over Deer Isle-Stonington in a Class D boys basketball semifinal game.
Easton jumped out to a 7-0 lead and held a 13-8 advantage after the first quarter. The Bears scored the first five points of the second quarter to build the advantage to 10. Deer Isle-Stonington scored the next six points to cut the deficit to 18-14. The Bears outscored the Mariners 11-4 the rest of the half to take a 29-18 lead into intermission.
Deer Isle-Stonington outscored Easton 9-2 at the end of the third quarter to cut the deficit to 38-36. Zach Billings got the first basket of the fourth quarter to even the score for the first time in the game. After a timeout, the Bears scored the next five to take a 43-38 lead. The Mariners scored the next four. Matthew Pangburn gave Easton a 45-42 lead. Billings made it 45-44 with 2:30 left. Troy Chasse made clutch free throws to put the Bears up by four. Myles Brown made a fade-away jumped to even the score at 48. The senior leader Kinney made the eventual game winner for the Bears with 30 seconds remaining.
Myles Brown scored a game high 21 points for the Mariners. He also had nine rebounds. Billings recorded 13 points, 13 rebounds, and four steals. Nathan Thompson chipped in with nine points. Deer Isle-Stonington ends the season with a 13-7 record.
Camden Michaud led the Bears with 16 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. Austin Carver added 13 points, while Pangburn, Kyle Flewelling, and Chasse chipped in with six points each. Easton (14-6) will play in the regional final game against Machias on Saturday morning at 10:45 AM. Easton shot 17-26 from the free throw line, while Deer Isle-Stonington shot 5-12.
