Presque Isle girls’ three-pointers sink Coyotes

Stormy weather postponed basketball games scheduled throughout the area Monday and Tuesday, but plenty of games were played over the weekend and earlier last week.
The Presque Isle girls bounced back from a loss to Houlton last Wednesday by sinking 13 three-point field goals in a 73-35 victory at Old Town Saturday.
Five different players hit from long range, with Emily Lagerstrom and Meg Boone nailing four each to finish with 16 and 12 points, respectively. Regan Nelson and Taylor Williams (three three-pointers) put in 15 points each for the Wildcats, who improved to 2-1.
Houlton proved too much for Presque Isle earlier in the week. The visiting Wildcats bolted to a 7-2 lead, but the Shires soon took over and went on to a 63-42 victory for their first win over PI in seven years. Emily Wheaton scored 13 points and Williams had eight in the loss. Kolleen Bouchard fired in 22 points for Houlton, the defending Class C state champs who now own a 4-0 early-season mark.
Presque Isle meets up against John Bapst Saturday in the home opener after playing its first three on the road. A ceremony will be held prior to the 3 p.m. game to honor last year’s Eastern Maine championship Wildcat team.
The Wildcat boys led after the first quarter in their game against the Coyotes, but Old Town controlled the second quarter to take the lead and went on to a 63-47 win. Griffin Guerrette’s 18 points keyed PI’s offense. The ’Cats are now 0-2 heading into tonight’s game at Houlton, an intriguing matchup as the Shiretowners are coached by former Wildcat player Dillon Kingsbury, while PI coach Terry Cummings was a former Houlton standout. The PI boys also finally play at home Saturday as John Bapst is in town for a 4:30 p.m. contest.
The Washburn boys and girls hosted Van Buren Friday and defeated the Crusaders in both ends of the twinbill. The Beaver boys improved to 2-0 with the 61-42 victory, highlighted by Jarrett Olson’s 21 points. Washburn trailed by three points at halftime before going on a 29-4 run in the third quarter. Olson (12 points) and Derek Baker (11) led the Beavers in the pivotal period. Baker finished with 14 points and McCall Turner totaled 10 as the duo combined for six three-point field goals.
Washburn’s opening-season game was a thriller played last Tuesday in Hodgdon. It took two overtimes for the Beavers to prevail, 81-70. The visitors outscored the Hawks in the second OT period, 15-4. Olson had 24 points and Noah Caron and Brandon Cropley netted 23 each for the winners, while Jimmy Buzzell had 32 in a losing cause.
The girls’ team from Washburn had an easy time downing the Crusaders Friday, thanks to a 21-4 scoring flurry in the second quarter that stretched a six-point lead to 23. Eight Beaver players scored, with Grace Braley pacing the offense with 13, Brittany Corey adding 12 and Taylor Howe and Emilia Churchill chipping in with nine each. Washburn is now 2-0.
“Taylor has played a critical role for us early on,” said Washburn coach Diana Trams. “She has been very aggressive on the boards which has helped us.”
The fourth-year coach noted that Churchill has served a variety of roles, running the offense and handling the ball while also averaging a whopping 16 rebounds through the first two contests.
“Our half court offense, when we are patient and look for teammates, is better than it has been in years,” Trams added. “We still have the potential to press with several quick players and Grace and Brittany have done well in the post creating opportunities there.”
The Beaver teams have huge early-season showdowns set for tonight in Washburn. Southern Aroostook comes to town, with the girls playing at 5:30 p.m. and the boys at 7 p.m. The SA girls are off to an impressive 3-1 start, while the Warriors boys are at 3-0.
The Fort Fairfield girls are perfect at 3-0 following Friday’s 51-31 triumph over previously-unbeaten Southern Aroostook. Chelsey Pelkey scored 16 points and collected seven steals in the win, while Taylor Churchill and Teresa Maynard also hit double figures in scoring with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Kylie Vining tallied nine points for the Warriors, now 3-1.
The Tigers trounced Hodgdon last Tuesday, thanks to a strong first quarter that saw FF outscore the Hawks, 25-2. Churchill had 14 points, Kayla Giberson 11 and Marissa Brouette 10 for the Tigers in the win.
On Thursday in boys’ action, the Hodgdon Hawks handed Fort Fairfield a 50-47 defeat in a game that stayed close throughout. Buzzell had a dominating performance with 33 points for the Hawks, with none of his teammates scoring more than four in the contest. For the 1-1 Tigers, Chris Giberson had 18 points and Isaac Cyr 15.
The Tigers boys have a big week with a game at Fort Kent Thursday, a home tilt against Easton Friday (made up after Monday’s postponement) and another huge home contest Monday against Southern Aroostook.
The Easton boys split their first two games, losing 66-55 at Southern Aroostook last Tuesday before ripping Ashland Friday, 54-30.
In the opener, Nolan Altvater and Jackson Mathers combined for 47 points with 24 and 23, respectively, to pace the Warriors. For Easton, Logan Halvorson and Drew Sotomayor both netted 15 points, while Jacob Flewelling added 12 and Collin Sotomayor chipped in 10.
Flewelling’s 18 points keyed Easton in the bounce-back win over the Hornets. Steven Bellanceau and Kyle Beaulier had nine each for winless Ashland, now 0-3. The Hornets were soundly beaten at Van Buren last Wednesday, 40-16. Rylee Albert tallied five points in the loss.
The Ashland girls won their lone contest last week, stopping the Crusaders, 56-18, last Wednesday. Hannah Stratton had a career-best 24 points to improve her team’s record to 2-1.
The Southern Aroostook girls got past Easton last Wednesday, 46-40, behind Sydney Brewer’s 14 points. Elise Allen and Black Bradley had 10 points each for the Bears, which own a 1-1 mark entering Friday’s game at Ashland, a team they beat in the Dec. 4 home opener. Easton will also take on Fort Fairfield in a make-up game Saturday afternoon.
The Central Aroostook Panther girls are now 1-1 following a 59-50 win at Madawaska last Tuesday. Karli Levesque exploded for 26 points and Ashlee Harris had her second strong offensive outing of the season by netting 18.
“I think we are starting to play better defensively, which is turning into transition offense for us,” said first-year CA coach Cody Tompkins. “We are outsized in every game we play in but we control the glass, and we know that’s a key to success for us.
“We are trying to focus on the things that we can control versus what the other teams are trying to do against us,” Tompkins added.
The CA boys own the same mark following their 68-32 triumph which gave Jason Woodworth his first career varsity coaching win. Zach Crouch scored 16 points in the boys’ game to lead the Panthers.