BANGOR- Lily Bean made a go ahead basket with 1:10 left in the fourth quarter on Saturday afternoon, and Abby Radel scored 21 points to lift the Ellsworth Eagles to a 59-52 Maine Principals’ Association Class B Girls Regional Championship win over previously undefeated Old Town at the Cross Insurance Center.
Ellsworth got off to a great start leading most of the first half, and 14-7 after one quarter. Makayla Emerson gave top seed Old Town their first lead at 23-21 with a three-pointer with 1:45 left in the second. That was followed up by another from long range by Taylor Loring, and the Coyotes had a 26-24 halftime advantage. The Eagles came out strong and went ahead 36-31 in the third quarter on a Radel layup, but it was Old Town bouncing back and a Saige Evans jumper at the buzzer gave them a 40-38 lead heading to the fourth. The Coyotes had their last lead 51-50 when Loring hit a three-pointer with 1:25 to play. Bean then hit the shot that put Ellsworth ahead for good, as they would end the game on a 9-1 run. They finished off the win by coming up with two steals and hitting some free throws in the last 55 seconds, one steal by Elizabeth Boles and another by Bean to capture just the second regional championship in girls basketball in school history. Their only regional win before Saturday was in 1992, and they’ve never won a gold ball.
Along with the 21 points by Radel, Bean and Grace Jaffray would lead the Eagles with eight rebounds a piece. They also broke a Class B regional tournament record for three-pointers made for one team with 26 total in their three games. Old Town was led by Evans who had 27 points and 15 rebounds. Loring would add in 11 of her own for the Coyotes who end their season at 20-1. Ellsworth (18-3) will face Spruce Mountain in Portland at the Cross Insurance Arena for the Class B State Championship next Saturday, March 4th at 1 p.m.
Recap by Gabe Nason/Edited and posted by Chris Lessner/Photos by Lisa Prescott/Videos by Chris Lessner, Marc Calnan, and Gabe Nason
