BANGOR, Maine — Solving the riddle of one of the best players in Eastern Class D proved too challenging for the Fort Fairfield boys basketball team Saturday evening as Hodgdon junior Chris Hudson carried his squad to victory over the Tigers.
No. 3 Hodgdon (17-3) bested No. 11 Fort Fairfield, 57-42, in an Eastern Class D quarterfinal game at the Cross Insurance Center. The Tigers end their season with an 8-12 record.
With the win, the Hawks advance to Thursday’s semifinal contest against No. 2 Easton (20-0), at 2:05 p.m. The Hawks may find Thursday’s semifinal a bit more challenging as Easton matches up quite similarly with Hodgdon. The Bears advanced to the semifinals with a dramatic, 41-37, victory over No. 10 Bangor Christian.
Hudson was dominant in the game with Fort Fairfield, dropping 30 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter. He also used his 6-foot, 5-inch frame to haul down 23 rebounds. Senior teammate Tyler Sherman chipped in eight points, while junior guard Devin Quint added seven.
For the Tigers, senior Noah Bernard led the team with 13 points, with junior Johnny Theriault adding nine.
“We struggled a little bit and I knew coming into the game if we didn’t keep Hudson off the (rebounding) glass, we were going to struggle,” Fort Fairfield coach Todd Alley said. “It was a physical game inside, and it was allowed to be played that way. That helped them (Hodgdon) more than it helped us.”
“We felt Fort (Fairfield) was going to be physical in this game, so we were prepared for that,” Hodgdon coach Robbie Smith said. “We hit a couple of outside shots early, but for the most part, we figured we would have to work hard on the inside to be successful.”
The two teams exchanged early baskets to start the game, with Hodgdon only mustering a 10-7 lead at the end of the first period. By halftime, that lead had grown to 21-14 and the Hawks were well in control of the contest.
The second half belonged to the Hawks as Hodgdon took a commanding 38-24 lead after three quarters thanks to a balanced scoring attack.
The Tigers mounted a furious effort in the fourth quarter, but by then it was too late.
“I told our guys if we were going to go out, we were going out playing hard, and that’s exactly what we did,” coach Alley said. “We didn’t quit. I was very proud of them.”
FORT FAIRFIELD (42)
Theriault 4 1-2 9, Daigle 2 0-0 4, Giberson 1 2-2 4, Watson 2 0-0 5, Player, Cassidy, Bernard 5 0-0 13, Campbell, Craig 2 1-2 5, Beaulieu 1 0-0 2, Ricker, Shaw, Pelkey. Totals: 17 4-7 42. 3-pointers — Bernard 3, Watson.
HODGDON (57)
Gardiner, Vargas 3 0-3 6, Horton, Mazzacco, Merritt, Hudson 12 6-8 30, Palmer 1 0-0 2, Woods 1 0-2 2, Quint 2 2-2 7, Sherman 4 0-2 8, Ramsey, McAfee 1 0-0 2. Totals: 23 8-17 57. 3-pointer — Quint.
Tigers 7 7 10 18 — 42
Hawks 10 11 17 19 — 57
