BANGOR, Maine- Prior to the 2018-19 basketball season, the Caribou boys hadn’t won a state championship since 1969. And now 44 games and two seasons later, the Vikings have won back to back titles. Sawyer Deprey hit a layup in the closing seconds of double overtime Friday night, as Caribou fought off a pesky and scrappy Maranacook Black Bears team 73-71 in an exhilarating finish in a Maine Principals’ Association Class B state final game at the Cross Insurance Center.
Maranacook scored the first basket of the game before Caribou went up 8-2 that included three-pointers from both Isaac Marker and Parker Deprey. The Black Bears fought back though and took a 14-12 lead late in the quarter, before P. Deprey knocked in another three-pointer for a 15-14 Vikings lead after the opening eight minutes. With the score tied at 20-20 in the second quarter, Caribou went on a 12-1 run to close out the half helped by six points from Jacob Berkoski and four from S. Deprey and led 32-21 at the break.
The Vikings scored the first basket of the third quarter and had leads of 13 and 11, before the Black Bears came storming back led by junior guard Cash McClure. McClure had eight points in the quarter, and Maranacook cut it to 45-44 when Skylar Boucher nailed a three-pointer. Caribou still held a lead of 47-44 after three. After the Vikings were up eight early in the fourth, the Black Bears cut it to four again on a shot by McLure. Caribou looked as if they had control when S. Deprey hit back to back baskets for a 58-50 lead with 1:55 left. McClure came back with a three-pointer, and then hit two from the line to cut it to five. Both Ethan Holdsworth and Berkoski missed 1 and 1 opportunities from the line for the Vikings in the final minute that may of iced it. McClure then cut it to 60-58 with another three-pointer, and Maranacook came up with a steal on the inbounds pass. Tim Worster got fouled under the basket and calmly sank two free throws to tie it with 15.4 seconds to play. Caribou couldn’t convert in the final seconds as the game went to overtime.
After Alex Bouchard gave the Vikings the early lead in the extra session, McClure toed the line and drained yet another one from behind the arc to put the Black Bears up 63-62. Berkoski though came back and did the same on the other end for Caribou for a 65-63 Vikings lead, before Worster scored in the paint in the last 30 seconds to tie it again. Bouchard attempted a three-pointer from the right corner for the win that went long, and yet another overtime would need to be played. P. Deprey scored the first basket of double overtime, before Casey Cornier hit one from downtown to put Maranacook up 68-67. McClure hit two from the line with 1:07 left to make it 70-67. Caribou fought back again getting 1-2 from the line from S. Deprey, then a blocked shot on the ensuing action on a Maranacook fast break at the other end by P. Deprey who then would convert a three point play back on the offensive end for a 71-70 Vikings lead with 17.8 seconds left on the clock. McClure was fouled and would hit the first out of two from the line to tie the game 71-71 with 5.9 seconds remaining. S. Deprey got the rebound of the miss and passed to halfcourt where the Vikings took a timeout with 4.6 seconds left. On the final play P. Deprey dribbled down the right side of the lane just pass the three point arc and then shuffled a line drive pass to his brother Sawyer to the left of the basket, and Deprey in one motion caught it and layed it in as the final seconds ticked off.
S. Deprey led Caribou in the win finishing with 22 points, six rebounds, and two assists. P. Deprey added 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Also contributing was Bouchard with 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists, Berkoski with nine points, Holdsworth with eight, and Marker with seven. The Vikings were outrebounded by the Black Bears 25-23, and shot 9-12 from the foul line. Caribou finishes a fantastic season at 21-1 with 10 wins in a row.
McClure had 33 points (six three-pointers), five rebounds, and three assists in the Maranacook loss. He also scored his 1,000th career point. Worster finished with 12 points. Joseph Dupont had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Also chipping in was Boucher and Cormier with eight points a piece. Boucher also had five rebounds. The Black Bears shot 15-17 from the charity stripe and hit 12 three-pointers. They also finish a great season at 19-3 and had their 15 game win streak snapped in the loss.
