While Thursday was a quiet night on the high school sports scene, Friday and Saturday will be filled with a bundle of games as teams get ready to break for Christmas.
That break, however, will be short-lived, as many schools resume games on Wednesday, Dec. 27.
The undefeated Southern Aroostook girls (4-0) travel to Houlton tonight to take on unbeaten Houlton (2-0) in what is one of the most anticipated games of the season for many basketball fans. The Warriors and Shires have played exhibition games against one another in the past, but have not faced each other during the regular season.
“For an early season game, this one seems to have a playoff type atmosphere,” Houlton coach Shawn Graham said. “My biggest concern heading into tonight’s game is our health.”
The coach said senior standout Kolleen Bouchard has a “pretty significant” ankle sprain and was limited in practice Thursday. Tessa Solomon has been down with the flu but will play Friday night and Kristen Graham has some soreness in her surgically repaired knee.
“In terms of the game itself, SA is an exceptional team,” Graham said. “They have size, quickness, and very good shooters. They have great athleticism and like to put a lot of pressure on the ball with their half-court and three-quarter court traps.”
Southern Aroostook’s Makaelyn Porter, right, tries to shoot the ball over the outstretched arm of Central Aroostook’s Annika Nicholas during a Dec. 16 game. (Joseph Cyr)
The coach added he expects the Warriors to come up with some sort of defense to focus the attention on Bouchard and Aspen Flewelling, which has been the norm thus far.
“We are spending a lot of time in practice in preparing for these situations as it will likely be a trend all season,” he said.
Defending the 3-point arc, while at the same time containing their post players will be a challenge.
“SA is very well rounded,” Graham said. “We also need our role players to step up and have a big night on both ends of the floor.”
“This is a great test for us going against the predominant team in Class B the last two years and now in C this year,” SA coach Cliff Urquhart said. “I’m hoping it’s a fun night of basketball for both teams.”
Areas of the game that possibly favor the Shires are experience in big game situations; strength of schedule; and physicality.
“I believe we can give them fits defensively,” Graham said. “The style of game that we play will likely be much more physical than anyone they will see throughout the year.”
Caribou’s home games originally scheduled for Saturday have been moved to Friday. The girls play at 3 p.m., followed by the boys at 4:30 p.m. The Viking girls are 1-3 and the boys own a 2-2 record heading into the contests.
Other Friday basketball games include Ashland travelling to Katahdin for a doubleheader (girls at 5:30 p.m./boys at 7 p.m.). The Ashland girls are 3-2 on the year, while Katahdin is 1-3. The Hornet boys are 0-5, while Katahdin is 2-2.
Also, the Hodgdon girls (3-1) are at Fort Fairfield (3-2) at 7 p.m.; and the Easton (4-2) boys travel to Dyer Brook to take on Southern Aroostook (2-3) at 7 p.m.
In hockey, Presque Isle (2-1) hosts Brewer (1-2) for a 7:15 p.m. game at the Forum.
Weather has already played a role in Saturday’s slate of games as a wintry mix is expected. As of Friday morning, the schedule for Saturday included the Fort Fairfield boys (4-1) travelling to Hodgdon to take on Greater Houlton Christian Academy (2-3) at 12:30 p.m., while Central of East Corinth (1-2) comes to Houlton to take on the Shire boys (4-1) at 2:30 p.m.
Presque Isle’s basketball games at Orono have been scratched, with a makeup date not yet established.
The Wildcats’ hockey match at Camden Hills Saturday has also been postponed to a later date and the alpine ski meet to be held at Fort Kent is also off.
Also on Saturday, the 6th annual Bill Weber Alumni Hockey Games will be played at the Millar Civic Center beginning at 3 p.m. Former Houlton players will lace up their skates as they test their hockey skills against each other in a friendly competition. Admission is free.
Only one game was played Thursday involving teams from the region. Washburn made the trip north to Fort Kent and fell to the Warriors, 58-35. Libby Lapointe scored 18 points for the winners and Cassidy Lovley had 14. Fort Kent improved its record to 3-1. Kassie Farley was the high scorer for Washburn, now 2-2, with 14 points.
