BANGOR, Maine — Dominating on the offensive and defensive glass, No. 2 Jonesport-Beals held off a pesky No. 10 Southern Aroostook squad Monday morning to pick up a 65-55 victory in a Class D North quarterfinal.
The Royals (15-3 overall) relied on their size and strength to outmuscle Southern Aroostook in the low post, limiting the Warriors to many single-shot opportunities.
With the win, Jonesport-Beals advances to the semifinals, where the Royals will take on the defending Class D state champs No. 6 Machias (12-7) on Thursday, at 7:05 p.m.
Southern Aroostook ends its season with a 7-13 record.
“The kids rebounded very well today,” Jonesport-Beals coach Skipper Alley said. “I felt coming into this game that turnovers and rebounds were going to be the key to winning this game. I felt all of the kids did a good job. I must have had four or five kids with six rebounds each.”
The Royals also received a balanced scoring attack led by sophomore Adam Robinson’s 14-point effort. Sophomore Kayden Crowley and senior Austin Grant both had 10 for the winners.
For Southern Aroostook, junior Garrett Siltz led all players with 17 points, including three from behind the 3-point arc. Eighth-grader Hunter Burpee chipped in 15 points as he sank five 3-pointers on the day.
Both squads showed poise from the charity stripe as Jonesport-Beals was a near-perfect 13-of-14 (93 percent) from the foul line. Southern Aroostook made 12-of-17 (71 percent) of its free throws.
The Warriors struck first in Monday’s quarterfinal, scoring the first four points of the game, but Jonesport-Beals took over the lead midway through the quarter and never looked back.
Southern Aroostook coach Bill McAvoy said his team has come a long way from the start of the season to Monday’s game. The Warriors, who appeared in last year’s regional championship, lost their entire starting lineup to graduation.
“The end of our season was very good,” McAvoy said. “The kids, and myself, were very happy with the progress we have made on the court this year. They were down on themselves early in the season, but you could see a difference midway through the season and certainly today.”
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- Adam Robinson, left, of Jonesport Beals drives to the basket while guarded by Southern Aroostook’s Jayden Burpee during Monday’s Class D quarterfinal. (Joseph Cyr)
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- Austin Grant, right, of Jonesport-Beals lofts a shot over a pair of Southern Aroostook defenders during Monday’s Class D North quarterfinal. (Joseph Cyr)
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- Southern Aroostook’s Garret Siltz tries to come up with the rebound during Monday’s Class D North quarterfinal against Jonesport Beals. (Joseph Cyr)
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- Southern Aroostook’s Hunter Burpee, left, steals the ball away from Jonesport-Beals Ryan Alley during Monday’s Class D North quarterfinal. (Joseph Cyr)
