9 teams ready to make mark in tourney
No. 1 CA boys go undefeated, ’Cats are third in competitive ‘B’
Boys squads look to compete for title
By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
This year’s tournament field boasts some of the best overall individual talent the central Aroostook region has seen in several years.
Start with the Central Aroostook Panthers, who went undefeated while returning a starting five that has been especially motivated after suffering an upset loss to Shead in last year’s Eastern Maine Class D quarterfinals.
“Tournament week was a long week for us last year because we lost early,” said senior Logan McLaughlin. “It’s been on the back of our minds and we really want to make a statement and come out strong in Bangor.”
CA’s veteran starting group has four players averaging in double figures, led by senior Caleb Kelly, whose consistency was defined by scoring at least 10 points in all 18 games.
Staff photo/Joseph Cyr
SENIOR CALEB KELLY of Central Aroostook takes the ball strong to the basket during a game against Wisdom earlier this season. Kelly and the Panthers are the top seed in Eastern Maine ‘D.’
Mike McClung, a 6-5 junior, proved to be difficult for many teams to defend and he averaged 13.4 ppg, while junior Brendan York had some huge outings and netted 12.8 ppg.
McLaughlin chipped in at 10.4 ppg and also is a reliable defensive player, while junior guard Dan Brewer also provides gritty defense and 7.7 ppg.
Even sixth man Steven Decker, a sophomore, was a factor by averaging 6.3 ppg.
The Panthers, who have won three gold balls since 2005, are the No. 1 seed in the division and their ability to play shutdown defense will make them strong favorites to reach yet another regional title game.
“We like to get after it on the defensive end and crash the glass pretty hard,” said McLaughlin. “Otherwise, our unselfishness is a big part of our game.
“We’ve celebrated our undefeated season, but now we’re ready to complete the job in the tournament,” he added.
The Panthers will take on the winner of the Easton vs. Deer Isle-Stonington prelim on Monday, Feb. 21 at 8:35 p.m.
The Washburn Beavers, whose only two losses this past season came at the hands of the Panthers, boast a terrific one-two backcourt punch on the offensive end in sophomore Mitch Worcester and junior Jordan McLaughlin.
The Beavers love to score, as evidenced by the 12 games in which they netted 70 or more points, and rely heavily on Worcester, who hit at least one three-pointer in all 18 games and averaged 24.5 points, and McLaughlin, a brilliant finisher on the fast break who averaged 19.1 ppg and banged in 30 threes himself over the course of the season.
MITCHELL WORCESTER of Washburn extends for a shot over Central Aroostook’s Dan Brewer during the teams’ Jan. 29 contest in Mars Hill.
“We’re more than me and Mitch,” said Jordan McLaughlin. “Our first six is solid. We can all score, rebound and play defense.”
Senior Connor Fitzpatrick averaged 8.8 ppg, while junior Chase Chandler is a decent rebounder and Mason Turner a three-point threat when left open. Sophomore guard Nick Bragg gives the team athleticism off the bench.
Jordan McLaughlin said Katahdin, who the team plays in Monday’s 9:35 a.m. quarterfinal, will provide tough competition.
“They are a very good sixth seed,” he said. “They like to control the pace of the game and we’ll try not to let them do that.”
The Presque Isle Wildcats boast a senior trio that gave teams in the Big East Conference fits throughout the season. Presque Isle, which went 17-1 in league play (the only loss was at unbeaten Ellsworth), relies on Travis Dyer (14.8 ppg) as a top perimeter marksman who also has the ability to score from other areas on the floor.
Contributed photo/jmavorphotography.comPRESQUE ISLE’S Oliver Zubrick is one of the top big men in the Big East Conference, and the senior is helping lead the No. 3 Wildcats into tourney play Friday evening against sixth-place Gardiner.
Alex Tuttle (12.8 ppg) is a 6-foot-5 match-up nightmare who can drive for points and connect from the outside equally well. The team’s inside scoring ace is Oliver Zubrick (12.3 ppg), who is also 6-5 and gets a majority of his points while posting up, on offensive rebounds or from the foul line.
“They are all a match-up problem for every team we play,” said coach Tim Prescott. “It’s nice that they all play different positions on the floor and you always know they will provide high energy for us.”
WILDCAT JUNIOR Wilder York tries to get a layup off against Caribou’s Branden Holdsworth earlier this season.
The Wildcats take on No. 6 Gardiner Friday at 8 p.m. in the Class B quarterfinals.
Back to Class D, a pair of other playoff qualifiers, who will need to win preliminary games Wednesday to make the tournament field, are also led by some quality individuals.
The Fort Fairfield Tigers will be a threat out of the sevenh seed, thanks in part to Travis Noyes. The senior forward is a statistical machine who according to coach Todd Alley averaged 20.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 12 assists and 1.7 steals during the campaign. He leads the Tigers, EM runners-up a year ago, into a home prelim matchup against Southern Aroostook.
“[The Warriors] are a tough athletic club that can put up points in a hurry,” Alley said. “We need to control the pace of the game and limit turnovers. That, along with limiting their second-chance points and applying good ball pressure will be the keys for us.”
After Noyes, the Tigers are very balanced with five players averaging between 6.7 and 8.5 ppg in starters Dereck Dufour, Jahleel Williams, Brandon Clark and Dylan Caldwell and frontcourt reserve Andrew Lewis, who came in very strong at the end of the season.
Fort plays SA Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Reid Clark of the Easton Bears is a slasher-type player who averaged 18 ppg and hopes to carry his team to an upset win at Deer Isle-Stonington in today’s preliminary playoff contest.
Staff photo/Gloria Austin
EASTON’S Holden Turner leads the field for a fast-break layup during a recent game.
Jared Hafford is a shooting threat who averaged 10 ppg, while Holden Turner, Jonah Bacon and Cody Tompkins all average between eight and nine points per contest. Bacon and Tompkins are the Bears’ top rebounders.
Coach Travis Carter is pleased with the “heart” his team demonstrated throughout the season and said that will need to be on display when the No. 9 Bears make the trip to Washington County to take on the eighth-seeded Mariners.
“We need to show defensive intensity, establish our inside game early to open up the outside and rebound the ball, especially on the defensive end,” Carter said. “We do that and play hard, everything else will take care of itself.”
The Bears’ prelim game will be played at 4 p.m. Wednesday aftenoon.
