HOULTON, Maine — With the playoffs looming, and an undefeated record on the line, Houlton girls basketball coach Shawn Graham was not sure how he team would respond when facing Presque Isle.
Coming off a hard-fought 55-48 win at Caribou the night before, the Shires romped to a 65-44 victory over Presque Isle to further cement their spot atop the Class C North standings. Houlton (14-0) had previously beaten Presque Isle 63-54 to complete the season sweep over the Wildcats.
“I was a little worried about fatigue coming into the game, but at the same time, I think a little bit of the rivalry (between Houlton and Presque Isle), took over,” coach Graham said. “We had great energy and effort tonight. And I think I am starting to see us play some of the best basketball of the season at just the right time.”
Houlton senior standout Kolleen Bouchard showed no signs of fatigue as she scored 28 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and dished out seven assists as Houlton improved to 15-0 on the season. Senior Aspen Flewelling hit five 3-pointers to finish with 15 points for the Shires, while sophomore Teagan Ewings added nine points.
Senior Emily Wheaton paced Presque Isle (11-5) with 21 points.
“We tried to keep Presque Isle in front of us defensively because they enjoy the perimeter look,” Graham said. “We concentrated hard on boxing out and being aware of the long rebounds.”
Houlton set the tone for the evening early on as Flewelling jacked a 3-pointer from the corner to start the game, but as was the case for much of the first half, Presque Isle answered as Wheaton hit her own shot from behind the arc on the ensuing possession.
The Shires pushed their lead to 9-3 early on, but the Wildcats countered with a 7-2 run to close out the quarter trailing Houlton by one, 11-10.
The back-and-forth battle continued in the second period, with Houlton scoring the first six points of the period to go up 17-10 as Kristen Graham scored from the post, followed by a 10-foot jumper and subsequent hook shot by Bouchard.
Presque Isle clawed its way back into contention midway through the second quarter, cutting Houlton’s lead to 24-20 on a 3-pointer by Chrissy Skidgel. But Houlton rallied in the final 1:27 as Flewelling and Ewings both hit 3-pointers to give Houlton a 30-20 halftime lead.
Presque Isle remained within striking distance for much of the third period, but was never able to seize the lead. That trend continued in the final quarter, with Houlton slowly pulling away from Presque Isle for the victory.
The coach said his daughter, Kristen, appears to be fully recovered from knee surgery that forced her to miss much of last season.
“The last few games we are starting to get real good balance,” coach Graham said. “This was the first time we had seen a 2-3 zone, and that helped Aspen get some open looks tonight.”
Houlton converted seven-of-nine free throws (78 percent), while Presque Isle was 12-of-16 (75 percent) from the charity stripe.
