No. 1 Ellsworth (20-0) was pushed to the brink in Wednesday’s B North semifinal but was able to hang on to a 60-55 victory over No. 4 Old Town (17-3) at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
The win puts the Eagles into the B North boys basketball final on Saturday at 3:45 p.m. against No. 3 Orono, a rematch of last year’s B North final in which Ellsworth came out victorious.
Old Town jumped out to a 10-2 run to begin the fourth to pull within 50-47 with four minutes left and suddenly the Coyotes were within striking distance.
Old Town also upped the defense on Chance Mercier, holding him scoreless in the quarter until a floater was made with 3:42 to play to make it 52-47. The Big East Conference boys basketball player of the year then scored another layup to push the lead to seven.
Mercier finished with a game-high 38 points.
With one minute to play, Old Town’s Gabriel Gifford drilled two free throws, then on the next Coyotes’ possession Brown sank a pull-up 3-pointer from the right wing to pull Old Town within 58-55 with five seconds left.
Brown led Old Town with 17 points.
Mercier fumbled the in-bounds pass but Milkes Palmer grabbed the loose ball and got fouled, sinking both free throws and clinching the victory for the Eagles.
Mercier scored 25 in the first half to lead the Eagles to a 33-17 lead at the break. The star junior shot 10-11 from the field over the first two quarters and also scored Ellsworth’s first nine points.
Old Town’s Emmitt Byther scored six in the third, while teammates Braydon Brown and Brendan Mahanney each put in five to help the Coyotes to a 20-point third quarter. Still, with Mercier pouring in nine more points in the third, Old Town trailed 48-37.