“We have been able to get most of our offensive and defensive stuff in and the kids have responded well to it,” coach Brewer said. “We have been playing better defense the last few games and our offensive output has increased. The kids have settled in and and are starting to understand my expectations and what it takes to win games.”
The Shires have moved up to ninth place in the competitive Class B North region and seem firmly entrenched in the playoff picture.
“We still have lots of room for improvement but I think the kids understand that and we try to continue getting better each game,” Brewer said.
In Class C North, Hodgdon (7-3) is ranked third in the region. If the Hawks can hold that ranking, they will earn a first-round bye and punch their ticket directly to Bangor for the tournament. George Stevens Academy (9-0) is the top-ranked team.
In Class D North, Southern Aroostook boasts a perfect 8-0 record and are the top-ranked team in the region. Greater Houlton Christian Academy (4-4) is currently ninth and would play a preliminary playoff game. East Grand (1-7) and Katahdin (1-8) are not in the postseason picture at the present time, but could work their way up the standings with victories in the second half of the season.
The following is a recap of games played through Monday that were reported.
Central Aroostook 46, Hodgdon 51 (OT) — At Hodgdon Monday, Matt Tuttle hit a shot late in the fourth quarter to tie the game and send it into overtime. The Hawks then outscored the Panthers 14-9 in the extra period to earn the win.
Hodgdon was led by Daden Palmer with 15 points and Kevin McAfee, who added 14 points.
Central Aroostook was paced by Ben Thomas with a game-high 19 points. Zach Crouch chipped in 14 points.
Central Aroostook led 10-6 in the first quarter, but Hodgdon went up 20-18 at the half. The Panthers went back up 28-25 after three periods before the game was tied at 37-37 at the end of regulation.
East Grand 50, Limestone 25 — At Limestone Monday, East Grand secured its first win of the season on the road against the Eagles. Individual results for this game were not reported to the newspaper.
Houlton 61, Washington Academy 56 — At East Machias Saturday, the Shires won their fifth straight with an impressive victory over Washington Academy. Cameron Graham had 21 points to lead Houlton, while Jared Fox and Keegan Gentile chipped in 15 points each.
Kyle Case led Washington Academy (4-4) with 18 points on six 3-pointers.
Houlton led 20-13, 35-23 and 46-38 at the quarter breaks.
Katahdin 57, GHCA 67 — At Hodgdon Saturday, Greater Houlton Christian Academy picked up its fourth win on the season with the 10-point victory over the Cougars. Individual game results for Kathadin were not reported.
Isaac Potter led the way for GHCA with 21 points, while Austin Winslow added 16, Cole Winslow and Will Austin each had nine.
“Katahdin was a very tough and well coached team,” GHCA coach Justin Spears said. “We were able to play well as a team and overcome Katahdin’s strong press/defense, which they executed well.”
The coach added Cole Winslow did a good job controlling the game at the point guard position, while Potter and Jed Grant made an impact rebonding.
“Austin Winslow stepped up and contributed 16 points combined with great defense,” Spiers said. “Will Austin made some crucial three-point shots during the game. Joel and Sam Carmichael both helped with strong defense and solid rebounding.”
East Grand 24, Machias 56 — At Machias Saturday, Phillip Farley’s 12 points paced East Grand in the losing effort. Brady McEwen added six points for the Vikings.
James Mersereau scored 14 points to lead the Bulldogs, while John Massaad tallied nine points and 14 rebounds.
Machias led 12-5, 30-10 and 44-18 at the quarter breaks.
Southern Aroostook 85, Washburn 45 — At Washburn Saturday, the visiting Warriors continued to roll as SACS improved to 7-0 on the season with a 40-point blowout over Washburn. Individual game results were not reported.
GHCA 57, Wisdom 33 — At St. Agatha Friday, GHCA had four players score in double digits led by Will Austin’s 12 points. Isaac Potter, Austin Winslow and Cole Winslow each had 11 points.
Adam Pelletier led Wisdom (3-3) with 11 points and Kody Cyr chipped in 10.
The Eagles led 13-11, 29-18 and 40-29 at the quarter breaks.
“Wisdom is another very good team,” GHCA coach Spiers said. “Scott Pelletier, who is an excellent coach, had his guys ready to play a tough game. Earlier in the season, we played against Wisdom and lost by one. Fortunately, Friday we were able to make some mid-game adjustments and pull out a win. We limited our turnovers and played team ball (good passing and shot selection, and help defense) which was pivotal in helping us weather a tough Wisdom team.”
Easton 65, Southern Aroostook 74 — At Dyer Brook Thursday, Nolan Altvater led all players with 33 points as the Warriors rolled past Easton. Jackson Mathers chipped in with 21 points for the Warriors.
Jordan White paced Easton with 24 points, while Jake Flewelling added 16 and Noah Hanscomb had 12.
Easton led 19-18 in the first quarter, but SACS took a 36-35 halftime lead and went up 54-48 after three quarters.
Houlton 75, Calais 32 — At Houlton Thursday, Cameron Cleary led four players in double figures with 12 points as Houlton rolled past Calais. Keegan Gentle, Cameron Graham and Nick Brewer all added 11 points for the Shiretowners.
Addison Coty paced Calais with 10 points.
Houlton led 18-11, 35-25 and 51-28 at the quarter breaks.
East Grand 45, Shead 61 — At Eastport Tuesday, Jan. 3 Tiger Matt Harris led all players with 19 points as Shead defeated visiting East Grand. Greg Jarrett added 17 points for the Tigers.
Thomas Gilman paced East Grand with 16 points.
The two teams played a tightly-contested game in the first half, but the Tigers pulled away in the second half. Shead led 16-14, 28-24 and 46-32 at the quarter breaks.
