Top of the Mountain

The Game of the Day lived up to the billing. On the road, the Maranacook boys led 31-26 at the half. Keagan McClure finished with 20 for the Black Bears. But Mount Abram didn't quit. They got the lead down to 1 after 3. And then it was Payton Mitchell Time. He scored 9 of his 25 in the final period and the Roadrunners came away with a big 68-64 win.

They move to first place in C South with the win.

A note on the Heal Points.

It appears the MPA has fixed their wacky Heal Point COVID math that everyone hated, so it should be less confusing this year. But the platform they use is still...awful and...slow.

If you're not using the Heal Points here, you're really missing out. The data on the hover alone is worth it, especially when you want to know what a team really has left on their schedule.

Orono's title defense is going pretty well.

Orono boys’ basketball triumphs in anticipated rematch with Ellsworth

Ellsworth had swept Orono in the regular season last year, but the Red Riots flexed their championship pedigree on Thursday.

Bangor Daily NewsSam Canfield

Ellsworth was understandably out for blood in this one, as Orono upset them in the Regional Final and went on to claim the Gold Ball, but Orono was ready. They raced out to a 20-8 lead, but Ellsworth hung around. They got it to within 5 before the champs pulled away. Pierce Walston led the way with 25 points, 12 boards, 5 assists, and 4 steals.

Orono is your new #1 in the Power Rankings.

No one got to 100 points last night (lame), but we did get a school scoring record, as Jace Bessey put up 44 in 23 minutes as Spruce blew out Lisbon, 83-33. According to Spruce Coach Scott Bessey, the 44 is actually a combined Spruce/Jay/Livermore Falls record, besting the 42 by Jay's John Cornelio in 1984.

So to recap:

Tuesday: 110 points, Oceanside scoring record (51, Carter Galley)
Wednesday: 107 points (TA girls), 1,000-point scorer (Anna Oliver, 46 points)
Thursday: Spruce/Jay/LF scoring record (44, Jace Bessey)

This is turning into an awesome week. Who's next?

Elsewhere, around the state...

Forest Hills used a 20-2 second quarter to pull away from Temple. They're already 4-0 on the season in only 6 playable dates...Sammy Calder had 24 as Monmouth beat Mountain Valley...Tyler Easterbrooks had 25 & 11 and Silas Nielsen had 22 & 16 as Sacopee Valley won their first game of the year...Manny Hidalgo had 32 (with 6 3's) but it wasn't enough to keep South Portland from falling to 0-3...Spencer Carpenter had 13 points and 17 rebounds as Wells moved to 3-0.

We head to Southern Maine, where Thornton Academy looks to move to 3-0 on the year. They host Bonny Eagle and, well...

I'm sure everyone at Bonny Eagle has completely forgotten about that there's no hard feelings whatsoever. I don't know who's in charge of AA scheduling, but this really should have been at Bonny Eagle...on Opening Night. But, hey, this works too.

The rest of today's games are after the jump.