BANGOR — The fireworks lasted for one half. For the Oceanside girls’ basketball team, that was all it needed.

Freshman Grace Mackie and sophomore Renee Ripley scored nine points apiece, each knocking down a trio of 3-pointers, and the Mariners returned to the the top of Class B with a 33-25 victory in the state final at the Cross Insurance Center on Friday night.

The game wasn’t perfect – Oceanside scored 25 points in a red-hot first half, and eight in an ice-cold second. But for the second time in three years, the Mariners (22-0) are champions.

“I’ve said it all night, it’s amazing. It’s crazy that I did it once, and doing it again is awesome,” said junior point guard Aubri Hoose, who scored seven points. “I can’t even explain this. You have to live it. It’s crazy.”

Old Town (19-3), led by 14 points from Makayla Emerson and nine from Saige Evans, whittled a 15-point deficit down to six in the fourth quarter but couldn’t overcome the early hole.

Oceanside prevailed despite only four points from Bailey Breen, who came in averaging 30 points per game but who was hounded by Evans and swarmed with double and triple teams whenever she got the ball inside the arc. But Breen also contributed nine rebounds and three blocks, and frequently found players freed up by the attention she was receiving.

“It feels good to be back. Last year (after losing the B South final) I was pretty upset, I don’t think I got out of bed for a few days,” Breen said. “We had some really young kids come out and make some really big shots. They did really good taking me away. … It was really good for those younger kids to know that they could do that.”

The Mariners jumped on the Coyotes early, making eight of their first 10 shots en route to a 19-7 lead. Oceanside also started 4 for 4 from 3-point range, getting two apiece from Mackie and Ripley. It was a stark contrast to how the Mariners started the 2022 final against Hermon, which it trailed 17-5 before earning a 31-28 victory.

“I think we just knew that we had to,” Breen said. “You don’t want to put yourself in a position like that (in 2022). It’s hard to fight back. You don’t want to come out and get down. If you come out firing and step on it early, it makes it hard for teams like that.”

Mackie hit three 3-pointers in the second quarter, helping Oceanside to a 25-10 lead at the break.

“I knew that, if I went out there, I just had to give it my all and believe I could make it,” Mackie said. “I really just tried to zone everything out. … Nothing changes. It’s just another game.”

It was the risk Old Town Coach Heather Richards knew the team was taking with the focus on Breen.

“That was our game plan, make them beat us from the outside, and they did it,” Richards said.

And then, in the second half, the offense dried up. A Ripley 3-pointer provided the Mariners’ only points of the first 13:57 of the second half, as Oceanside both struggled from the field and slowed down the pace to draw out possessions. Meanwhile, Old Town cut into the gap, getting as close as six points twice in the fourth.

“They did a good job of not letting us run any sets. … (So) we kind of more ended up freelancing, which isn’t our strong suit,” Oceanside Coach Matt Breen said. “We talked about it in the locker room. We knew they weren’t going to go away.”

Matt Breen, however, also pointed to his team’s experience as a reason the Mariners didn’t let the lead slip away completely. Hoose and Bailey Breen combined to go 5 for 6 from the free-throw line to ice it.

“The first one, I’ve been here 20 years and it was so hard to get,” said Matt Breen, who also got seven rebounds from Sophie Daggett. “To be able to get a second one with this group has just been amazing. … It’s just been a great experience.”

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