The Presque Isle girls may have lost a pair of 1,000-point scorers from last year’s team in Hannah Graham and Krystal Kingsbury, but that didn’t deter them in their opening game of the season Saturday.
Sophomore Emily Wheaton scored 16 points, while Taylor Williams and Emily Lagerstrom were also in double figures with 12 and 10, respectively, as the Wildcats prevailed in Hermon, 53-32.
“We played nervous and jittery as many teams do in their first game and were not happy with how we played,” said PI coach Jeff Hudson, “but we were happy with the outcome and we will improve.”
Later that afternoon, the Wildcat boys erased a 12-point deficit in the third quarter and came back to tie it entering the fourth, but poor foul shooting (2 for 10 in the fourth quarter and 11 for 27 in the game) doomed PI in the 46-39 loss to the Hawks.
Griffin Guerrette nailed a buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the third to make it 35-35, but PI was outscored 11-4 over the final eight minutes.
Connor Murchison hauled in 15 rebounds, while Kyle Rider had 12 points and six rebounds. Guerrette and Grant Stewart (eight rebounds) notched eight points each in the loss.
“Overall, I thought we played pretty well for how young and inexperienced we are and being on the road,” said Wildcat coach Terry Cummings. “We struggled to make shots, but we limited our turnovers and played solid defense, so we have something to build on.”
The Washburn girls, the five-time Class D state champions, also debuted on the road and defeated Hodgdon, 48-38, in a game played Friday.
Emilia Churchill poured in 22 points and Grace Braley added 16 as the Beavers raced out to an 11-point lead after a quarter and kept the margin close to that the rest of the evening. Sydney Howell netted a team-high 18 points for the Hawks.
The Easton girls downed Ashland, also on Friday, by a score of 31-24. The game was tied at halftime and again after three quarters, but the Bears went on a 13-6 run in the final period to come out on top. Elise Allen was the only player in the game scoring in double figures as she notched 10. Emma Bonner had nine for Easton, while Laura Sturgeon put in seven to lead the Hornets.
The Southern Aroostook Warriors had their offense in gear during Friday’s 68-51 home win over Central Aroostook. The hosts led 15-0 early on and never looked back. Three players scored 15 points apiece to lead SA. Ashlee Harris nailed five three-pointers and finished with 24 points to pace the Panthers, while Molly Anthony chipped in with 12 points.
In other girls’ action, the Fort Fairfield girls shut down Limestone-MSSM, 51-23, in another game played Friday. The Tigers bolted to a 27-1 advantage after the opening quarter in the dominating performance. Taylor Churchill scoring 20 points and Chelsey Pelkey tallying 12 to lead the winning offense.
The Tiger boys recorded a 61-36 triumph over the Eagles that night behind Chris Giberson’s 18 points. Isaac Cyr had eight and Jonah Daigle seven as 11 players scored for the defending Class D regional champs.
Alex Sprague led Limestone-MSSM with 13 points.
The Eagles turned things around Monday and bested Ashland on the road, 56-26. Victor Negron tallied 15 points and Sprague had 12 points and seven assists for the winners, giving Brian Massey his first varsity coaching victory. Mason Deabay’s seven points were tops for Ashland, which was playing its opening game of the year under new head coach Lucas Belanger.
Central Aroostook lost to Southern Aroostook in a boys’ game played in Mars Hill, 78-45. The Panthers, under first-year coach Jason Woodworth, trailed by just six points at halftime before SA took control. Jackson Mathers and Nolan Altvater had 25 and 23 points, respectively, for the winners, while Dustin Pryor’s 15 lead CA.
In the Ashland girls’ 25-19 win over the Eagles, Sturgeon’s seven points keyed the offense, while Morgan Doughty and Mackenzie Carter chipped in with five points each. Jessica Lindsay grabbed 20 rebounds for LCS/MSSM.
