Hawks get needed rest

By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    On Monday, the Hodgdon Hawks were coming off an emotionally draining game against Central Aroostook Saturday in Hodgdon and never settled down into the flow of the game against Katahdin.
    The Cougars, on the other hand, were prepared for the point-worthy matchup, picking up a 62-53 win.
    Katahdin co-coach Cliff Urquhart, formerly SACS girls coach, noted that the Cougars caught Hodgdon on a “below average” shooting night.
Pioneer Times photograph/Gloria Austin
GOING AROUND — Hodgdon’s Nick Lunn dribbles toward the basket past Central Arooostook’s Steven Decker during last Saturday’s game in Hodgdon.
    “They usually shoot the ball better than they did in that contest,” said Urquhart. “The kids knew the game plan and did a good job executing it. We hit some timely shots from outside, which brought Hodgdon out of their 1-3-1 that had bothered us in our last game with them.”
    The Cougars are ranked fifth and Hodgdon sixth in the latest Class D Heal Point standings.
    Hodgdon coach Rob Smith explained that his squad lacked the intensity that they had played with the last few home games.
    “From the tip, we were overshooting our shots and not knocking down wide open looks,” he said. “We never settled down offensively, as we passed up a lot of open looks and forced shots that were being contested.”
    Smith noted defensively that his team was playing “flat,” as their rotation proved.
    “We were not challenging shots,” he explained. “Our help defense was there, but not as strong as it could be.”
    The Cougars didn’t miss a beat, as Wyatt Morse poured in 21 points, including five 3-pointers, while Colton Bivinghouse tossed in 16 and Billy Livezey chipped in with 14 more.
    For Hodgdon, Chris Hudson stepped up later in the game, hitting from the perimeter for 12 points, while Nick Lunn led the way with 17 and Josh Hudson fired in 15 more.
    “We just need to get a few more guys involved in the offense to assist in the scoring,” Smith said.
    On Saturday, the Hawks played the defending state champion Panthers in front of a packed house.
    After taking a 15-14 lead, the Panthers were within the clutches of the Hawks, who held a 26-24 halftime advantage by outscoring the Panthers, 12-9, behind every player’s contribution on the floor.
    However, the Panthers know a thing or two about winning. They were able to find their perimeter shooters to take the lead for good, 40-36.
    “Our rotation was not as crisp as in the first half,” said Smith, “and we had a few costly turnovers and forced shots.”
    Central Aroostook’s Mike McClung may have been quiet the first three quarters, but he connected for nine of his 15 points in the final eight minutes.
    “He seemed to be the difference in the game,” Smith added. “We did not let up on him, but we got into foul trouble and had to be careful when the ball went into him.”
    The Hawks continued to stay within reach, as they were only down by three points with 30 seconds left, but a turnover, which forced them to foul, sealed the game.
     Brendan York led the Panthers with a game-high 19 points, while McClung finished with 15 and Chandler Brewer 12.
    For Hodgdon, Lunn knocked down 18 points, while Chris and Josh Hudson had 14 and 11 points, respectively.
    “I am very proud of our boys,” Smith said. “They played a very good defending state championship team down to the wire and worked very hard to make it a ballgame. Games like this we can learn from and hopefully it will only make us stronger and gives us confidence that we can play with any team that we face.”
    The Hawks were scheduled to play East Grand yesterday before hitting a week’s layoff. After the break, Hodgdon goes on the road, starting Jan. 19 for three games against Van Buren then Limestone and Mars Hill, Jan. 23 and 25, respectively.
    Last Thursday, the Hawks downed host Southern Aroostook, 64-47 by outscoring their hosts 23-9 in the second quarter.
    Lunn and C. Hudson both had 16 points, while J. Hudson added 10 more for the winners.
    For Southern Aroostook, Jesse Boulier fired in a game-high 20 points, with Pat Goodall pumping in 15.