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| Contributed photo/jMavor Photography Matt Milliard, a senior guard for the Caribou Vikings, takes the ball strong to the basket during a home game against Fort Kent earlier this season. Milliard and the Vikes will host Gardiner in a prelim game tonight. |
By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
The Caribou boys and the Limestone-MSSM girls are both one win away from having a chance to compete in the new Cross Insurance Center in Bangor during the upcoming Eastern Maine Basketball Tournament.
The two teams had to get through the preliminary round first, with the Vikings’ game set for tonight and the Eagles having played Tuesday, but victories would propel both into the quarterfinals to be played at the new venue beginning this weekend.
Coach Chris Casavant’s Caribou boys put together a solid regular season, having won 14 of their 18 games. On Senior Night Friday at home, Caribou was impressive by rolling past rival Presque Isle, 63-43.
Caribou finished fourth in the EM Class B Heal Point standings and will host Gardiner, who captured the 13th and final playoff spot in the division. The Tigers, a member of the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference, enter the game at 10-8.
The Vikes are 7-2 on their home floor, with the lone losses coming to Houlton and Mount Desert Island, while Gardiner enters with a 4-5 road record.
The Tigers enter the contest having lost their last three games, including Thursday’s 66-59 defeat at the hands of Medomak Valley in which they held a 17-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Gardiner is led by Seth McFarland and Brad Weston, who average 15 and 10.4 points per game, respectively. Weston leads the team in rebounding at 5.3 per game.
Caribou is a veteran team with all five starters back from last year’s squad which went into the playoffs at No. 5, beat Hermon in a prelim game that went into overtime before being decided, and then were upset by No. 13 Foxcroft Academy in the quarterfinals.
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| Contributed photo/jMavor Photography Eagle players Alexis Bell (14) and Jordyn Hopkins try to bottle up Fort Fairfield’s Nicole Giberson during a regular season matchup. Limestone-MSSM went into the playoffs at No. 7 and played GHCA Tuesday in an EM Class D preliminary playoff game. |
The Vikings start Dayne Savage, a junior who leads the team in scoring, along with the senior quartet of Cody Herbert, Kameron Manter, Matt Milliard and Derek Richardson.
Savage is a do-everything point guard who has the ability to create his own shot. He is one of the top three-point marksmen in the Big East Conference, shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc.
Herbert also averages in double figures in points and is a solid rebounder, while Manter and Milliard are quality defenders often asked to mark the opponent’s top scorer. Richardson is a complementary scorer who rebounds effectively.
Donovan Savage, a sophomore, comes off the bench to aid in ball handling and perimeter scoring. He has established himself offensively over the second half of the season. Senior Adam Collins and junior Colby Holdsworth also see significant minutes off the bench.
The Limestone-MSSM girls, coached by Ryan O’Neal, got off to a 14-0 start before closing with three losses in their final four games.
The season hit a snag in early January when sophomore point guard Chelsey Pelkey was forced to sit out eight games due to a concussion. Later in the month, starting senior forward Jordyn Hopkins also suffered a concussion and missed three games.
Both players returned for the team’s final home game Jan. 31 against Ashland, but in a game at Fort Fairfield the following day were both feeling the effects and saw limited duty.
O’Neal said Pelkey and Hopkins “are both approaching 100 percent” and were expected to be ready to go Tuesday at home against Greater Houlton Christian Academy.
“We’ve been focusing on playing good fundamental basketball and getting used to playing with each other again,” said the coach.
Limestone-MSSM ended up 15-3 and is the seventh seed in EM Class D. Their opponent, GHCA, was No. 10 but gave the Eagles two competitive games in their regular season meetings. Pelkey was out for both of those games.
Pelkey, a dynamic player who can score but also distributes the ball well to teammates, is joined in the starting five by Hopkins and fellow seniors Alexis Bell, Melissa Cantafio and Mariah Williams, who had the game-winning three-pointer against GHCA Jan. 6. Kelsee and Kassee Albert bring energy off the bench and Madeline Williams is a frontcourt reserve.
