BANGOR – The Deer Isle-Stonington Mariners left port Saturday morning for the Bangor Auditorium in search of a bounty.

That bounty, the gold ball, is something the Mariners have never had on their ship.

The Gould Academy Huskies of Bethel wanted that bounty as well, but the Mariners made them walk the plank.

Bolstered by clutch free-throw shooting and a 25-12 second-quarter run, the Mariners capped off an undefeated season (22-0) and won the school’s first Class D state title with a 76-54 triumph at a packed Bangor Auditorium.

Stonington High School won back-to-back Class S state titles in 1961-62.

The difference in the game came from the free-throw line, where DI-S outscored the Huskies 23-1.

The Mariners used their uptempo offense throughout the first half to force the Huskies to become more aggressive on the defensive end and foul.

It worked to perfection. By halftime, Gould’s 6-foot-2 guard Tom Tutor, the Western D tourney MVP, 6-5 forward Ian Siekman and 5-10 forward Seth Gray each had picked up three fouls.

“We started off running on them, I think that’s what made them pick up the fouls,” said DI-S senior forward Shane Eaton.

“They couldn’t get back in time, they were forced to foul us, and I think after they got the fouls we really just pounded it inside because they couldn’t go at us.”.

Eaton capped the second-quarter surge by putting back his own miss to give the Mariners a 17-point lead at intermission.

The advantage grew to as many as 25 points in the second half, and the Huskies simply couldn’t keep up.

“They kept the tempo up with the high pace, and we just couldn’t pound it inside,” said Gould coach Todd Siekman, whose club finished 17-1. “They were really able to dictate the flow of the game.”

Mariners coach Glen Billings was puzzled that the Huskies didn’t use their height advantage.

“I kept waiting for them to post us,” Billings said. “I’m surprised with the athletes they have that they didn’t try to run more motion offenses. They’ve got some talented kids.

Senior point guard Bryant Ciomei capped the win with a reverse layup with 58 seconds remaining, which brought the Mariner fans, who filled three-quarters of their side of the Bangor Auditorium, into a frenzy.

“[This] means a lot to these fans, and it means a lot to us,” Eaton said.

Bryant Ciomei added, “I can’t wait [to celebrate], it’s going to feel even better tonight, to celebrate with our fans.”

Ciomei and brother Collin, a junior forward, combined for 40 points (Collin 23, Bryant 17), as Bryant took advantage of the Huskies’ zone scheme and burned Gould from the perimeter in the second half.

“I really haven’t been able to shoot many [threes] coming in, because most teams play man,” Bryant Ciomei said. “I like to take open shots, and they gave me a few today.”

He was 3-for-4 from 3-point land in the second half, and added seven assists, a game-high six rebounds and four steals.

He was able to get his 6-4 brother many open looks inside.

“Tonight we definitely clicked even more than usual, we were just there,” said Bryant Ciomei, who was also 7-for-7 from the foul line while Collin was 8-for-8.

Billings applauded the fan support.

“It’s been terrific, the signs [are up] all the way to Ellsworth,” Billings said. “People are coming up and talking to these kids, encouraging us and congratulating us. It’s a tremendous respect to these kids and what they’ve accomplished.”

The Mariners’ ship has now come home, complete with their bounty.

Jon Eaton provided 10 points, five rebounds and four steals and Eben Powers added eight more points for DI-S.

Tutor was the only Husky in double figures, finishing with 24 points before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter. Tyler Bruens chipped in nine points and nine rebounds.

MARINERS 76, HUSKIES 54

Gould Acad. (17-1) DI-Stonington (22-0)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Baribeau 1 10 0 0 2 Powers 3 8 8

Tutor 11 23 0 1 24 Pinkham 0 0 0

E. Bruens 4 5 0 0 8 C. Ciomei 7 13 8 8 23

Siekman 4 9 0 0 9 Boutlier 0 0

Russell 0 0 0 0 0 Siebert 0 1 0

Zu 0 0 0 0 0 Pratt 0 0 0 0

Gray 0 2 0 0 0 J. Eaton 3 12 10

T. Bruens 4 8 1 4 9 Brown 3 5 6

Kan 1 3 0 0 2 Hardie 0 2 0 0

Rogers 0 2 0 0 0 B. Ciomei 5 20

S. Eaton 3 14 8

D. Eaton 0 1 1

Totals 25 62 1 5 54 Totals 24 64 23 26 76

Gould Acad. 10 22 39 54

DI-Stonington 14 39 57 76

3-pt. goals – Gould Acad. (3-19): Tutor 2-7, Siekman 1-3, Baribeau 0-7, Rogers 0-1, E. Bruens 0-1; Deer Isle-Stonington (5-15): B. Ciomei 3-6, S. Eaton 1-5, C. Ciomei 1-4