BANGOR, Maine — Senior guard Griffin Guerrette scored 26 of his game-high 36 points in the second half to lead third seed Presque Isle to a 65-54 Class B North tournament quarterfinal win over stubborn 11th seed Orono at the Cross Insurance Center on Friday night.
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- Presque Isle boys coach Terry Cummings, kneeling, surveys the action during Friday’s Class B boys quarterfinal game with Orono at the Cross Insurance Center. (Staff photo/Joseph Cyr)
Presque Isle, now 14-5, will play the winner of Saturday’s 9:05 a.m. game between Mount Desert Island and Washington Academy of East Machias in Wednesday’s 7:05 semifinal.
The youthful Red Riots wound up 7-13.
Presque Isle’s Jonah Hudson lofts a shot Friday evening as Orono’s Jason Desisto defends. In the background is PI’s Griffin Guerrette. (Staff photo/Joseph Cyr)
The two teams were tied 39-39 after three quarters and 44-44 early in the fourth quarter when the lightning-quick Guerrette took the game over.
Guerrette, the Big East Player of the Year, aggressively attacked the basket and scored eight points during a 10-0 run that gave the Wildcats a 10-point lead with 4:20 remaining.
After Chance Walston ended Orono’s scoring drought with a driving layup, Guerrette fed Trace Cyr underneath for an easy bucket.
After Ryan Shorette hit a short jumper for Orono, Guerrette sank a free throw and, following a Caleb Wheaton steal, Guerrette hit a short baseline jumper to make it 59-48 with 2:57 left.
He then answered a Walston basket with one of his own and the Riots couldn’t get any closer than seven the rest of the way.
Guerrette had four assists, five rebounds and two steals to go with his 36 points.
Cyr finished with 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds for the Wildcats. Jonah Hudson had nine points and nine rebounds and Adam Paterson had eight points.
Freshman Zack Dill had 10 points to lead the Red Riots and he also had two rebounds and a blocked shot. Walston also had 10 points and he grabbed three rebounds. Jonathan Spencer and Jason Desisto had seven points apiece and Sam Martin had six to go with three rebounds and a blocked shot.
Presque Isle took a 27-24 lead into the intermission as the Red Riots used a 7-0 run to slice into a 25-17 deficit.
The Red Riots continuously battled back until Guerrette finally took the game over.
