Pierce Walston is focused on championships
Orono's champion point guard is leading the Red Riots into a rematch of the Class B title game against Oceanside, he doesn't have a lot of time for Mr. Basketball snub talk.
The bus ride home from Caribou was a quiet one for Orono’s boys basketball team. The reigning Class B champions hadn’t lost a game since the regular season finale last year to Old Town and after defeating Oceanside in a classic of a state title game, 61-58, the Red Riots were flying high.
On January 6, Orono lost 55-50 to a surprise top B North team in Caribou. The next day, the practice was led by head coach Ed Kohtala, who stressed the importance of focusing on this season and leaving last year in the rearview mirror. A lot of that responsibility fell on Orono’s leader and point guard, Pierce Walston.
“Everybody wasn’t that energized the next day,” Walston said. “It’s a long bus ride and the next day at practice it was more of a mental practice. We talked about what we could have done better down the stretch. That was really what that practice was. Really just realizing we have the championship experience and we have to stop living in the past.”
Last year it was Walston who notched 12 points and four steals in the team’s championship win. It’s Walston who gets the crowd fired up on every and any positive play for the Red Riots, fist pumping and screaming to the ether a la Tiger Woods on Sunday. It’s Walston that had to help Orono bounce back from the Caribou loss, followed by two more losses back-to-back against Old Town and Ellsworth, two of the top teams in Class B North.
Walston and the Red Riots would go onto rattle off 10 wins in a row, including capping off the B North tournament with wins over Caribou, Ellsworth then Old Town to reach a rematch championship showdown with Oceanside on Friday night in Bangor.
“We felt like we were invisible because we were so young last year, so this year coming back I don’t think we were prepared for the competition,” Walston said. “Early on when we had those three losses in a row it kind of woke us up and we said, ‘We have to lock in. this won’t be easy.’”
The senior point guard finished the regular season with a statline of 17.4 points per game, 6.4 assists and 3.6 steals. Walston showed up on both sides of the ball.
With a state title under his belt and being one of the most complete players this season in the Big East Conference, Walston was named one of 10 Maine Mr. Basketball semifinalists.
When the finalists were announced, Oceanside’s Carter Galley, Ellsworth’s Chance Mercier and Hampden Academy’s Zach McLaughlin heard their names called, while Walston was the odd man out.
He’s not sure why.
“I don’t really know how that all works, honestly,” Walston said. “Coming in, I felt like I could be a pretty heavy candidate, not to sound cocky or anything, but I felt that. Just knowing it was supposed to be a career award, I am kind of confused.”
Walston understands that the other three finalists score a lot of points, something he doesn’t have to do night in and night out. Walston said he thinks all three finalists are deserving, but he’s still not changing his style of play that’s proven successful.
“It’s tough because in Maine I feel like there are a lot of politics involved,” Walston added. “I’m not trying to score more because people like to see those statistical numbers, I am just trying to win championships and I feel championships are more important than individual accomplishments… A label from a group of people aren’t going to change me or change my mindset.”
Walston’s mentality mirrors that of the Red Riots team: Defense first.
Orono allowed just 45.7 points per game over its 21 contests this season and the senior said his team puts more of an emphasis on that end of the court more than others.
It’s of course not just a one-man show in Orono. Walston would be the first to tell you.
“I think that of course there’s Ben and Will (Francis), and the most under looked guy on our team is Bergen Soderberg,” Walston said. “That kid went from playing no minutes last year to starting and really stepping up. He’s a sophomore that we’ve drilled confidence into his head. We’re lucky to have him and his confidence.”
“Mason Kenney has been huge, as well. We can go eight or 10 deep. There’s also Brady Hews, who may be short but he is a hooper.”
The Red Riots are solely focused now on Oceanside and a rematch for the ages. The Mariners have been the topic of much conversation this season for their high scores and lofty winning margins. While Orono focused on the team in front of it during the B North tournament, half an eye was peeking over at Oceanside’s run through the south.
“We have to come out and be ready to play just like they will be,” Walston said. “They will come out hungrier than last year and it’s going to come down to who plays better.”
Orono will face Oceanside at 7:45 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor on Friday.