With only the top-ranked team in Eastern Maine Class D schoolboy action getting a bye to the quarterfinal round, all of the other 14 squads vying for advancement through today’s preliminary games.
No. 2 Southern Aroostook hosts No. 15 Wisdom tonight at 6 p.m.
Coach Bill McAvoy could not be reached for comment on his upcoming preliminary game with Wisdom, but the teams do have several common season opponents in Washburn, Central Aroostook, Ashland, Van Buren and East Grand. Wisdom had won only one of those games, which was against Central Aroostook, while SACS’ only loss came from Washburn in Dyer Brook.
The Warriors finished their regular season 17-1 with wins over Fort Fairfield, Washburn and East Grand.
Last Thursday at Fort Fairfield, the Warriors overtook the Tigers, 57-36.
Nolan Altvater knocked down 19 points, while Justin Nelson netted 13; Cameron Landry, 11 and Jackson Mathers, 10.
Robbie Watson led Fort Fairfield with 10 points.
The Warriors led all the quarter breaks: 15-4; 25-18; and 40-33.
Against host Washburn last Wednesday, the Warriors avenged an earlier season loss with a 67-58 win.
The Warriors overcame a five-point deficit to open the game and turned it into a nine-point halftime advantage, 34-21. After three, the Warriors maintained their lead, 48-39. The Warriors led as much as 20 points in the fourth quarter before Washburn closed the gap.
Landry led SACS with a game-high 21 points, while Altvater tossed in 19 and Mathers added 16 more.
Washburn was led by Cameron Bragg’s 18 points.
Last Tuesday in Dyer Brook, the Warriors overpowered East Grand, 85-31.
Mathers had a game-high 19 points, while Tyler Batchelder scored 13 and Altvater added 12.
For East Grand, Alex Stoddard scored 12 points, with Philip Farley adding eight more.
The Warriors led throughout the game: 29-2; 34-8; and 69-20.
No. 11 Cougars – No. 6 Wolverines tonight 6 p.m
The No. 11 Katahdin Cougars will travel to East Millinocket to meet No. 6 Schenck at 6 p.m. The two teams met twice on the regular season, so there are no secrets between the two clubs. Schenck was victorious in both games, 59-50, in the first outing in East Millinocket and 80-50 in the second meeting in Stacyville.
The two teams play common opponents in Bangor Christian and Penobscot Valley, as well.
“In order for us to advance to the next round, we need to play with composure, handle their pressure and utilize strong defenses all game,” said first-year Katahdin coach Rick Larrabee. “At this point in time, all of my players are healthy and we are coming off a couple of good wins to end the season. I am expecting a good game with Schenck with hopes that we will come ready to play.”
The Cougars defeated No. 14 Bangor Christian, 44-43, at Eastern Maine Community College last Wednesday and overtook Central Aroostook, 62-51, last Thursday in Mars Hill.
“We are playing well right now,” said Larrabee. “My boys want to get to Bangor. But, in order for us to do that, we have to go through Schenck. We think it will be a good game.”
Earlier in the week, the Cougars could not overcome No. 4 Easton, losing 42-29, last Tuesday in Easton.
Nick Clark keyed Easton with 11 points, while Logan and Cody Halvorson each tossed in eight points.
For Katahdin, Nick Lane scored a game-high 14 points.
The Bears led at each quarter break: 9-7; 21-14; and 32-24.
No. 12 Hodgdon travels to Machias tonight at 5:30 p.m. to face the No. 5 Bulldogs
The No. 12 Hodgdon Hawks have a long way to travel for their playoff game tonight. They will face No. 5 Machias at 5:30 p.m. This will be the first meeting between the teams this season. The Hawks are 10-8, while the Bulldogs are 16-2.
The only common opponent between the teams is East Grand. Hodgdon recently defeated the Vikings, 70-27 to close out the regular season.
“Machias is a young team,” said Hodgdon coach Robbie Smith. “They start three players who are six-foot or taller.”
The Bulldogs suit up two seniors, with the rest of the players being sophomores and freshmen. At center is Jacob Godfrey, a 6-4 freshman, with their forwards standing 6-2 and 6-0. The Bulldogs’ Logan Wood is a perimeter shooter, but can also recognize an opening and drive to the basket. He would be comparable to Hodgdon’s Daden Palmer or Jimmy Buzzell.
“Their starting guards look to shoot 3’s if left open and are quick,” Smith added. “They like to get out and run if they are able to and their size allows them to crash the boards well. We will have to contain their outside shooters, not allow second chance points and rebound aggressively to advance to Bangor.”
Smith is hoping his team’s experience comes into play against the youthful Bulldogs.
“I am hoping our playoff experience will give us an advantage when it comes to a big game,” Smith explained. “I would like to see us go down (to Machias) and play aggressive on defense like I have seen in the past three or four games. We will need to limit turnovers and be patient on offense.”
The Hawks are all healthy and ready to take on the Bulldogs.
In last week’s final games, the Hawks overpowered East Grand, 70-27, last Wednesday in Hodgdon.
Hodgdon senior Devin Quint led all scorers with 17 points on Senior Night, while Jimmy Buzzell tossed in 12 points and Palmer added 10 more.
For the Vikings, Alex Stoddard knocked down 12 points.
Hodgdon led at each quarter break: 14-4; 28-14; and 50-20.
Last Tuesday, the Hawks soared by Limestone/MSSM, 69-28, behind a 20-point opening lead. Buzzell was the game-high scorer with 15 points, while Dana Brown and Devin Ramsey each chipped in with 10.
Alex Sprague scored 10 points for the Eagles.
Hodgdon led throughout the game: 25-5; 45-12; and 57-19.
No. 6 East Grand vs.
No. 11 Stearns yesterday
The Class D Eastern Maine schoolgirl playoffs were scheduled to happen on Tuesday, Feb. 10, with 15 teams qualifying for the postseason. The only team that received a bye was No. 1 Washburn.
For No. 6 East Grand, the Lady Vikes were to host No. 11 Stearns of Millinocket. The Lady Vikings have made the playoffs for the third year in a row. East Grand coach Mike Carlos is hoping that the girls’ work pays off and they get by Stearns and on to Bangor.
Carlos doesn’t scout other teams, he may hear about them, but he worries more about preparing his own club.
“We come ready to play and try to give our best,” said Carlos. “For us to win, we must execute on both ends of the court. I heard they press and play a 1-3-1 defense that’s all I know about Stearns. I have not called around. We don’t play any of the same teams. I think it should be a good game and I hope we win.
“The girls have worked hard to get in to this position now let’s see how it plays out,” he added.
The Lady Vikings finished the regular season with a 51-25 victory over visiting Wisdom.
East Grand built a halftime lead of 27-9 and cruised to the win.
Sarah Stoddard led all scorers, recording a double-double, 19 points and 10 rebounds. Allie McEwen also had a double-double in the game, 11 points and 10 boards. Hayleigh Shay netted 11 more points for the winners.
The East Grand girls took a 49-36 win over host Southern Aroostook last Thursday in Dyer Brook.
It took four quarters to break open a close game, with SACS leading 8-7 to start the game and 23-19 at halftime. In the third, East Grand grabbed a 32-29 lead en route to the win.
Chelsea Winiarski popped in 10 of her game-high 21 points in the decisive final quarter, with Stoddard netting 16 more.
For SACS, Kennedi Smith scored 19 points, including five 3-pointers, while Cassidy Lyons netted 10 points.
Last Wednesday, the East Grand girls overtook host Hodgdon, 52-23, behind Stoddard’s game-high 23 points and McEwen’s 10.
Hodgdon senior Hannah Sherman and Sydney Howell each scored six points.
After a 6-all first quarter, East Grand built a 20-11 halftime advantage and upped it to 33-15 after the third.
The Hodgdon girls fell to visiting Limestone/MSSM, 49-26, last Tuesday.
Sherman paced Hodgdon’s offense with 13 points.
No. 15 Katahdin vs.
No. 2 Shead
The No. 15 Katahdin girls were to have a road game yesterday to play in Eastport against the second-ranked Shead Tigers.
The two teams have one common opponent in East Grand.
Katahdin girl’s coach Jona Fitzpatrick has talked to a few coaches and watched video to help prepare her team.
“They are not a big team, but they pass well and move without the ball,” she said.
Shead’s top scorers are Preston and Seeley.
“We will have prepared for them to play a 2-3 match-up zone against us,” Fitzpatrick explained. “I would like to use our height to our advantage. We will have to box out and rebound well, along with playing good defense.
“I am excited about the match up,” she added. “We take our opponents seriously and we never underestimate anyone. We want to compete, play hard and leave it all out on the floor. We will need to make smart decisions and limit our turnovers. This is what we work for all season.”
