Tonight is a quiet night on the local high school basketball scene, with the only game taking place in Fort Kent with the Fort Fairfield boys visiting for a 7 p.m. tipoff in the Class C North matchup.
The Tigers come in as one of the hottest teams in the region, having won five in a row.
Saturday’s slate includes a four Big East Conference tilts being held in local gymnasiums. Orono is in Presque Isle to take on the Wildcats in a girls/boys doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m., while Washington Academy of East Machias plays in Caribou, with the girls’ game at 1:30 p.m. and the boys at 4:30 p.m.
In other action, LCS/MSSM makes the trip to Danforth to play East Grand, with game times at 1 p.m. for the girls and 2:30 p.m. for the boys. Fort Fairfield, winners of three of its last four, hosts an Easton girls’ team on a five-game slide. The teams met way back on Dec. 13 with Easton pulling off a 41-29 win in Easton. Bears’ coach Bryan Shaw is hopeful 5-11 senior center Sara Gilman makes her return to the lineup after missing the last six games with an ankle injury.
Summaries of Thursday’s varsity basketball games, which saw the Ashland and Washburn girls and boys pull off doubleheader sweeps, follow:
Boys
Ashland 24, Van Buren 22
In a low-scoring affair played in Van Buren Thursday, the visiting Hornets turned a halftime deficit into a five-point lead after three quarters and held on to defeat the Crusaders.
The win moves Ashland (4-6) to within 1/10th of a point from cracking the Class D North top-10 in the Heal Point standings, which would get the team into the playoffs for the first time in several years.
Steven Bellanceau scored eight to lead the Hornets and Eric Perreault had 10 for 3-7 Van Buren.
Washburn 61, LCS/MSSM 43
A huge rally in the fourth quarter lifted the Beavers to their fourth win of the season against five losses.
In the game played at Washburn Thursday, senior forward McCall Turner exploded for a career-high 30 points, while teammates Caleb Thompson and Quintin Thompson were also in double figures with 12 and 10, respectively.
Alex Sprague connected on four 3-pointers and finished with 18 points for the Eagles, which fell to 2-6.
Girls
Central Aroostook 53, Easton 44
In a battle between two of the top girls’ teams in Class D North, the Panthers took control early and held off a few rallies to sweep the season series against the Bears.
Ashlee Harris scored 15 points, including three 3-pointers, and Breanne Bradbury tossed in 10 points for the 7-2 Panthers, now in third place in Class D North.
Delaney Leach fired in 21 points for the 5-6 Bears, who were playing their sixth consecutive game without 5-11 Sara Gilman, who has been out with an ankle injury. Easton has now lost five games in a row, but still is in fifth place in the ‘D’ North Heal Point rankings.
Fort Kent 44, Fort Fairfield 32
After losing by two points in Fort Fairfield on Dec. 15, the Warriors made amends in the Class C matchup Thursday in Fort Kent thanks to Cassidy Lovley’s 12 points and 10 more from Jordan O’Leary.
Fort Kent (6-4) bolted to a 14-point halftime lead before the visitors rallied in the third quarter to get close, only to fall short.
Cammi King-DeMerchant, a freshman, had 11 points and nobody else on the Fort Fairfield roster had more than four. The Tigers are now 4-6.
Washburn 71, LCS/MSSM 40
The Beavers eased past the Eagles Thursday as Kassie Farley scored 20 points and Maggie Castonguay had 17. Farley scored 15 points in a second quarter which saw the hosts (6-4) stretch a 10-point lead into 20 by intermission.
Freshman Taylor Labreck scored 23 points for the Eagles (2-6), with 11 coming from the foul line.
Ashland 38, Van Buren 18
The Hornets held the host Crusaders scoreless in the first quarter and four points in the half to move to 4-6 Thursday.
Hornet sophomore Olivia Tardie was the only player in double figures in the game as she totaled 11 points. Leah Gendreau had seven for 1-9 Van Buren.
