ELLSWORTH – A quick start and clutch free throw shooting down the stretch allowed the Ellsworth boys to get on top early Friday night and withstand a late rally by Stearns of Millinocket.

The Eagles won the greyhound race-turned-war of basketball attrition 82-71 to improve their early season record to 2-1. Stearns dropped to 1-2.

Coach Ray Katsiaficas’ Eagles, who never met a fast break they didn’t like, used a relentless rebounding attack to set up several easy hoops during a 16-6 run late in the first half.

Ellsworth outrebounded the Minutemen 36-23 in the game.

The run turned a three-point game at 3:11 into the second quarter into a 13-point Ellsworth lead at halftime.

“We came out flat in the first half. We got ourselves in a big hole and couldn’t quite get out of it,” said Stearns coach Greg Friel.

The Minutemen came close to climbing out of that hole late in the final quarter.

Stearns slowed down the Ellsworth sprint-a-thon with fouls. At the same time, the Minutemen employed a stubborn, full-court press that forced turnovers and helped them rediscover their own fast break offense.

The result was a 16-8 run that shrunk Ellsworth’s lead from 12 to four points.

But that 70-66 score with 1:47 to play in the game was as close as Stearns could get. Friel began running out of bodies as three Stearns players fouled out of the game.

Meanwhile, the Eagles shot 75 percent (12-for-16) from the foul line in the last minute and a half to put the game away.

“We finished 18-for-26 in the last 5 1/2 minutes. That was the key because they were really going after us,” said Katsiaficas.

Ellsworth junior guard Phil Hodgkins spearheaded the Eagles’ foul proficiency as he went 11-for-13 from the line in the second half.

“It was kind of contagious. Everybody was getting fouled and going to the line with confidence,” said Hodgkins.

Hodgkins scored a game-high 34 points.

“Phil Hodgkins was real tough. He handled the ball well and didn’t miss his foul shots,” said Friel. “I kept telling the kids `get in his face tight, let someone else get it, and foul them.’ ”

“We couldn’t do what we usually do. We run a sideline fast break and tonight they ran it, we didn’t stop it, and didn’t run our own,” said Friel.

Stearns was led by junior forward Steve Osborne, who had 21 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Shaun Illingworth had 18 points and a team-high six assists.

Both players and Corey Streams, all starters, were the three players who fouled out.

Senior starters Matt McDonald (12 points) and Nick Smith (nine rebounds) helped to pace the Eagles’ attack.

The win, the second straight by a young, fairly inexperienced Ellsworth team, impressed Katsiaficas.

“I’m totally surprised. It’s a very young group with six sophomores, a freshman, only two juniors, and four seniors,” said the coach. “They’re so young, I’m not really sure what to expect. I’m pleased with what I’m seeing.”

Katsiaficas was also delighted with the Eagles’ efforts on the boards, considering they were without the services of 6-foot-1 Jake Metzler, a regular member of the Eagles’ rotation who was sick Friday.

Eagles 82, Minutemen 71

Stearns Ellsworth

Name G AG F AF TP Name G AG F AF TP

Streams 3 8 3 6 9 Johnston 0 0 0 0 0

Howes 0 2 0 0 0 Seltzer 1 2 0 0 2

Walsh 1 2 0 0 3 Hodgkins 10 13 11 13 34

Illingworth 6 16 2 2 18 Massengale 1 5 0 2 2

Porter 5 11 0 0 12 Donaldson 3 8 7 10 13

Osborne 9 15 3 4 21 Smith 3 7 1 7 7

Page 1 4 2 2 4 Conley 2 3 8 10 12

Montgomery 2 11 0 0 4 M.McDonald 5 8 2 4 12

Ripton 0 6 0 2 0

Totals 27 75 10 16 71 Totals 25 46 29 46 82

Stearns (1-2) 18 29 45 71

Ellsworth (2-1) 20 42 57 82

3-pt. goals: Stearns (7-19): Streams 0-2, Howes 0-2, Walsh 1-1, Illingworth 4-8, Porter 2-2, Osborne 0-1, Ripton 0-3; Ellsworth (3-5): Hodgkins 3-4, Smith 0-1