HODGDON, Maine — There was a distinct vibe coming out of the Hawks’ Den Thursday evening as the Southern Aroostook boys came to town to face Hodgdon.
Perhaps it was because it was Senior Night for the Hawks, as several players appeared in their final home game of the year.
Or maybe it was because one special guest Addie Woods, a Hodgdon youngster who is going through aggressive chemotherapy to fight a form of leukemia, was in attendance for the game. Woods is the younger sister of Hodgdon senior Blake Woods, and surprised her big brother by attending the game for a few moments, with her doctor’s permission.
Whatever the reason for the electric crowd, there was a definite playoff feel to the game as the Hawks and Warriors met on the hardwood. SACS proved to be too much for the scrappy Hawks as the Warriors pulled off a 62-41 victory.
At Dyer Brook earlier in the season, Southern Aroostook squeaked out an 80-75 win.
“I think our game did have a playoff feeling to it,” Hodgdon coach Rob Smith said. “The crowd was one of the best all year at home and it was just as packed in Southern Aroostook for our game down there. It was good for both teams to play in front of a crowd of that magnitude because when the playoffs start, home gyms will be filled by both teams and it is usually loud and the players feed off of it.”
SACS coach Bill McAvoy agreed.
“Back in the beginning of the season, I said I thought Hodgdon was the best quality team on my schedule,” McAvoy said. “We had lost to Fort Fairfield, and these guys (Hodgdon) just beat Fort. So I think our kids really wanted to make a statement tonight.”
Nolan Altvater tallied 28 points and Jackson Mathers added 16 points to propel Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook to victory. Jimmy Buzzell led the Hawks with 28 points.
SACS led 17-9, 32-19 and 52-29 at the quarter breaks.
Having a game with such a playoff atmosphere could prove beneficial for both teams come playoff time.
“You have to learn to play under control and do not let the hype of the game get to you,” Smith said. “The team that settles down the quickest and gets into their game usually comes out on top. We have had some players that have played in big games like that before, but as a team as a whole we have not experienced it. We have not seen many games with that type of a crowd and excitement this year. It reminded me of the Houlton-Hodgdon games from a few years back.”
The Hawks tried using the same 2-3 zone defense that worked so well against Fort Fairfield, but the Warriors managed to find the holes in the zone.
“We need to work on our rotations a little more and I think that cost us some boards,” coach Smith said. “We needed to control the glass on both ends of the court. We went into the game with the idea to limit one of SA’s big two (Mathers and Altvater).”
The Hawks managed to somewhat bottle up Mathers, holding him to just three field goals. But the talented junior went to the free throw line 13 times, making nine of those shots.
“Those two are going to score, because they are great shooters and look for their best shot if open,” Smith said. “We needed to put more points on the board. We have guys that can score also and we got good looks, but the shots did not fall down.”
