An overnight trip to Hancock County to play a pair of traditional powers in the Big East Conference — Mount Desert Island and Ellsworth — is an annual event for the Caribou varsity basketball teams.
It always poses a difficult challenge, having to ride several hours on a bus and play one game, then spend the night in a hotel and take on the other opponent the following afternoon.
The Viking boys came very close to pulling off a pair of victories, but settled for a split and returned home with a 4-3 record and the No. 3 ranking in the Class B North standings.
On Thursday, Dec. 27, the Vikings trailed 10-0 early, then came back and led by seven points entering the fourth quarter before the Trojans battled from behind and won the game, 67-65, on a baseline jumper by Drew Shea as time expired.
“That was a heartbreaking one,” said Kyle Corrigan, the first-year coach of the Vikings. “Our boys showed their resilience and fight, but it just didn’t work out for us.”
The game was tied and Caribou had possession with just over a minute to play. The Vikings took the clock down to 18 seconds before a turnover gave the ball to MDI, setting up the game-winner.
“I had a certain time in my mind to call a time-out and set up a play, and we were just seconds away from that,” Corrigan said. “Their guy hit a tough shot at the buzzer. All in all, our boys played well and we were that close to sweeping the weekend. I think we all learned a lot from that one.”
Parker Deprey, Caribou’s leading scorer, battled foul trouble throughout and was limited to two points, but Austin Findlen (16 points, four assists), Isaac Marker (15 points), Sawyer Deprey (12 points, four assists) and Michael Brigman (11 points, five rebounds) all turned in strong offensive performances. Alex Bouchard had a strong overall outing with six points, seven assists and five rebounds.
At Ellsworth the following afternoon, the game was tied at halftime, but Caribou went on a 9-0 run to begin the third quarter en route to the 70-56 victory.
Corrigan said a concentrated effort to improve on defense after a lackluster performance in the first half keyed the win.
“We gave up 33 points and weren’t pleased with how we played,” he said. “The guys knew we could play much better than we did and made some slight adjustments. We set a goal to allow between six and eight points and ended up giving up 10, but we held them scoreless for the first 3-1/2 minutes.
“Our energy to start the quarter was excellent. We got a few steals and early layups and that really helped us get a good lead and we maintained it for the rest of the game,” Corrigan added.
Parker Deprey led the offense with 23 points and nine rebounds. Marker put in 12 points and Findlen had 11 to go along with five rebounds and five assists. Bouchard was solid in many phases and finished with nine points, seven assists and six boards.
Caribou has another big game as it hosts Foxcroft Academy, 3-3 and in fifth place in the division, Monday, Dec. 31, at 4:30 p.m.
