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MILO – Six days ago, an ailing Penquis Valley boys basketball team limped down Route 16 to take on a young Orono team and ended up losing to the Red Riots by a deceptively close nine points after trailing by as many as 18 in the late going.
According to Penquis star Jeremy Allen, several factors contributed to that loss.
“About three-quarters of our guys had the flu that was going around, we weren’t really playing very well, and they’re a tough team anyway,” Allen said.
On Wednesday, the Patriots got 30 points, seven rebounds and two blocks from the 6-foot-3 Allen, never trailed, and posted a 56-47 win over the same Red Riots. Penquis, the defending Class C state champs, improved to 10-3, while Class B Orono dropped to 4-6.
While all of the factors cited by Allen were true, his coach had a much more succinct assessment of the difference between the two games.
“Knapp played,” he said, referring to junior point guard Ben Knapp, who missed last week’s game with bronchitis.
“[Orono has] good guard play … Knapp controls the ball for us and we don’t turn it over,” Hamlin said. “Without him, it’s like cutting the head off a snake.”
On Wednesday – metaphoric serpent once again intact – the Patriots scraped their way past the Riots.
Knapp scored nine points, handed out four assists, and remained largely unrattled by speedy Orono guards Daryl Watson and Mark Mehuren in the win.
Penquis never led by more than 11 points, but Orono was able to make only one solid run at the Patriots. They tied the game for the last time on a Watson hoop with 3:30 to go in the third. That made it 30-30, but Knapp converted an Allen feed into a 3-pointer from the right wing on the ensuing possession and the Patriots never trailed again.
Penquis led 39-33 after three periods and spread the floor after that, attempting only four field goal attempts (but earning 21 attempts from the free-throw line) in the fourth.
Orono coach Aaron Watson said his team didn’t play poorly, but never seemed to hit a big shot down the stretch.
“I don’t think that we were able execute the things that we wanted to do in the second half. We made very few poor decisions, but we just didn’t execute and make shots when we needed to,” Watson said.
Orono got 10 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks from 6-5 junior Jesse White and nine rebounds and three blocks from 6-10 sophomore John Saucier.
But while the Red Riots picked up a 42-point tandem effort out of Mehuren and Watson on Jan. 11, the duo only managed 11 between them on Wednesday.
Knapp said slowing the Orono guards was a priority.
“We knew we had to come out and shut them down. That was our focus. We wanted to shut their guards down and make their other three guys beat us,” Knapp said.
If that was one focus, Allen provided the other: The Patriots refused to let the size of Orono’s front line deter them from going to the basket.
“We still do the same things: Try to slow it down, control the tempo, and pound it inside, regardless of their height,” Allen said.
The result, on Wednesday, favored Penquis, as the elusive Allen battled his way to the hoop and got his points despite a solid physical effort from Orono. Allen earned 17 attempts from the foul line and made 10.
“He did a very nice job doing the things that he does,” Watson said. “He uses his body well, he leans into shots well, and he made some tough shots. He got hit quite hard a few times tonight, and he finished.”
Patriots 56, Red Riots 47
Orono (4-6) Penquis (10-3)
Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG F AF TP
Watson 1 6 1 2 3 Knapp 2 8 4 9
Mehuren 2 9 4 6 8 Leonard 0 0 2 2
Heitmann 2 6 2 2 8 Kissell 0 0 0
Sinclair 1 2 3 4 5 Ladd 1 1 2
Kempen 1 5 0 0 2 Webb 2 5 0 4
White 5 6 0 2 10 Gillis 1 4 0 2
Saucier 1 5 4 4 6 Grindle 0 0 0 0
Ellis 0 0 0 0 0 Allen 10 19 10 17 30
Ulrich 2 3 1 2 5 Heal 3 7 1 7
Totals 15 42 15 22 47 Totals 19 44 17 28 56
Orono 7 19 33 47
Penquis 16 24 39 56
3-pt. goals: Orono (2-15): Watson 0-4, Mehuren 0-4, Heitmann 2-6, Kempen 0-1; Penquis (1-8): Knapp 1-4, Webb 0-1, Gillis 0-1, Allen 0-2
Attendance: 300 (est.)
Preliminary: Orono JVs 61-34
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