The regular season began with a flurry of games Friday and Saturday, but the victories were hard to come by for many schoolboy basketball teams in the region. Southern Aroostook was the only local team to pick up a win on opening weekend, with a 78-45 victory at Central Aroostook.
The Warriors could be poised for yet another strong campaign in the new Class D North region, despite losing several key players to graduation. Southern Aroostook has a strong nucleus of returning players, including a group of seven talented juniors, which should bode well for the club this year and next.
SACS coach Bill McAvoy collected his 400th career victory Monday evening as his Warriors defeated East Grand. The school was scheduled to present McAvoy with a plaque for his accomplishments prior to Tuesday night’s game with Easton.
Katahdin played competitively in its opening contest against Penobscot Valley — a new team to the schedule this year. The Cougars are led by new coach Harry Doughty and have a bundle of players standing six feet or taller, which could make them a tough matchup on a nightly basis.
East Grand has joined forces with Greater Houlton Christian Academy to form a boys’ squad this winter. The Vikings started the season with a tough schedule, losing to Woodland, 73-31, Friday and, 77-55, to Southern Aroostook Monday.
Houlton, which now competes in Class B North, has a new head coach (Dillon Kingsbury) and a bundle of new faces on the team following the graduation of eight seniors last season.
The following is a recap of games played through Monday.
Bangor Christian 44, Katahdin 43 — At Stacyville Monday, the Cougars lost a heart-breaking one-point decision to the visiting Patriots.
Katahdin was lead by Brody Guiggey with 13 points and Devin McGraw with 12. Bangor Christian’s lead scorer was Dean Grass with 20 points.
Bangor Christian led 11-9 at the end of the first quarter and took a 23-21 lead into the locker room at halftime. Katahdin went up 33-28 after three quarters were complete, but BC came back for the win.
East Grand/GHCA 55, So. Aroostook 77 — At Dyer Brook Monday, the host-Warriors rolled to their second victory on the young season. Individual game results were not reported to the newspaper by presstime.
Southern Aroostook 78, Central Aroostook 45 — At Mars Hill Friday, the Warriors were victorious over Central Aroostook, 78-45. Individual game results were not reported to the newspaper by presstime.
Katahdin 32, Penobscot Valley 41 — At Howland Saturday, Grant Doane led all scorers with 21 points to lead Penobscot Valley to a win over Katahdin. Grant Kidon finished with seven points for the Howlers.
The Cougars were paced by McGraw and Hunter Craig, who scored 14 and 10 points respectively.
Orono 53, Houlton 37 — At Orono Saturday, Imao Woldring led a balanced Red Riot attack with 16 points in the opening win. Nate Desisto finished with 13 points and Keenan Collett contributed nine for the winners.
Houlton was led by Jacob Brown’s 11 points, while Garrett Ring and Cameron Cleary each chipped in eight points.
East Grand/GHCA 31, Woodland 73 — At Woodland Friday, the Vikings struggled offensively. Individual game results were not reported to the newspaper by presstime.
