It’s still very early in the season, but four teams from the region are off to fast starts. The Houlton boys are 4-0 after registering two victories over Hodgdon and another over Class B Presque Isle last week.
The defending state champion Southern Aroostook girls won their first three games, the latest coming Saturday over Shead of Eastport. The Fort Fairfield girls are also 3-0 after defeating Fort Kent Thursday, while the PI girls defeated Belfast Saturday to move to 2-0.
Results for games played over the first week of the season are as follows:
Girls Basketball
Presque Isle 67, Belfast 53— The Wildcats put 49 points on the scoreboard in the first half and held on to defeat the Tigers in Belfast Saturday. Faith Sjoberg scored 19 of her 20 points in the first 16 minutes of the game, while Maggie Castonguay tossed in 16 and Madison Jandreau had 11 for the 2-0 Wildcats. Madison Michaud scored eight points and dished out five assists and Molly Kingsbury added six points and grabbed seven rebounds for PI.
Katahdin 48, Wisdom 27 — At Wisdom Saturday, Hannah Kyllonen and Makayla Hartsgrove both had 10 points to lead the Cougars (2-2) to victory. Hartsgrove also had seven rebounds. Alyssa Banville led all players with 13 points for Wisdom (1-3).
Southern Aroostook 77, Shead 46 — At Eastport Saturday, Makaelyn Porter tossed in 26 points to lead Southern Aroostook (3-0). Sydney Brewer chipped in 15 and Kassidy Mathers added 13 for the Warriors. Ryleigh Andrews had 13 points for Shead (1-3).
Maine Central Institute 49, Caribou 32 — The Vikings had a strong first half, leading by four points at intermission, but MCI scored 24 points in the third quarter in Saturday’s contest at Pittsfield. Taylor Skidgel was Caribou’s only player in double figures with 11 points. The Vikings fell to 0-3 with the loss.
Ashland 47, Easton 26 — Jamie Poulin and Olivia Tardie scored 14 points each as the 2-1 Hornets defeated the 0-3 Bears in Easton Friday. It was Ashland’s second win over Easton in a week. Lydia Ferris tossed in 10 points for the Bears.
Van Buren 42, East Grand 29 — At Danforth Friday, the search for the first win continued for East Grand as the Vikings (0-4) fell to Van Buren (1-2). Individual results were not reported.
Hodgdon 38, Katahdin 26 — At Hodgdon Friday, the Hawks (2-1) picked up the 12-point victory over Katahdin thanks to Kora Lambert’s 11 points and Sabra Scott’s 10. Autumn Ganzel chipped in with six points, while Lauren McGillicuddy had five.
Makayla Hartsgrove led Katahdin with nine points, while Hannah Kyllonen and Haley Landry both had six.
Fort Fairfield 39, Fort Kent 31 — The Tigers improved to 3-0 by winning a defensive battle against the Warriors Thursday. Riley Clough and Cammi King-DeMerchant both scored 11 points and Camryn Ala put in 10 more to lead Fort Fairfield.
Houlton 52, Central Aroostook 49 — At Houlton Wednesday, Dec. 12, the Shires (1-1) held on for the 3-point victory over Central Aroostook (0-1). Abbie Worthley tossed in 13 points and Emma Ardell added 12 for the Shires. Katie Levesque led all players with 29 points, including six 3-pointers for the Panthers.
Woodland 56, Hodgdon 31 — At Baileyville Dec. 12, McGillicuddy tossed in 16 points to lead the Hawks, while Scott added six. Sadie Smith had 18 points for Woodland.
Washburn 47, East Grand 28 — The Beavers held the Vikings to two points in the second quarter to take control in the Dec. 12 game played in Washburn. Kassandra Farley hit four 3-point field goals and finished with a team-high 18 points for the Beavers and teammate Alexis Carney added 10 points, while Mallory Gilman tossed in 22 for East Grand.
Madawaska girls 44, Ashland 25 — The Owls got a combined 33 points from frontcourt players Jenna Dugal and Brianne Thibeault to prevail in Ashland last Wednesday, Dec. 12. Jamie Poulin fired in 12 points to pace the Hornet offense.
Houlton’s Abbie Worthley, left, goes in for a layup while Central Aroostook’s Ashlee Harris defends during a Dec. 12 game. (Joseph Cyr)
“Madawaska has a lot of size and athletic ability and is a tough matchup for us,” said Ashland coach Ben Lothrop, “but I was happy with the way our defense played. We were still in the game after three quarters, but ran out of gas and into foul trouble.”
Fort Fairfield 81, Easton 26 — The Tigers won easily at home Dec. 11 as Riley Clough scored 22 points, a career best, and Camryn Alan (16 points) and Amber Sherwood (11) were also in double figures. Lydia Ferris notched 13, including three 3-pointers, to lead the way for the Bears.
Fort Kent 42, Caribou 41 — Desirae Hafford’s second 3-pointer of the game, which came with 10 seconds to play, gave the Warriors the home win Dec. 11. Hafford scored 14 points to lead her team in scoring. Taylor Skidgel netted 14 points and Alexis Rodriguez had 10 for the Vikings.
Madawaska 42, Washburn 28 — The Owls came out on top Dec. 10 as Jenna Dugal scored 14 points. Kassandra Farley and Emma Johnston each scored eight for the Beavers.
Southern Aroostook 67, Wisdom 27 — At Dyer Brook Dec. 10, Makaelyn Porter tossed in 25 points to lead the Warriors to victory. Sydney Brewer chipped in 18 points and Kacy Daggett added 13. For Wisdom, Alyssa Banville had 14 points.
Katahdin 48, East Grand 37 — At Danforth Dec. 10, Maddie Landry poured in 11 points and hauled in eight rebounds to lead Katahdin to victory. Makayla Hartsgrove added 11 points and Hannah Kyllonen had 10. For East Grand, Mallory Gilman led all players with 13 points, while Jordyn Cowger added nine.
Calais 61, Houlton 36 — At Houlton Dec. 10, the Shires opened their season with a tough loss. Olivia Henderson scored eight points, while Emma Ardell added seven. Lauren Cook led Calais with 30 points, while Sophia McVicar added 13.
Madawaska 42, Washburn 28 — The Owls came out on top Dec. 10 as Jenna Dugal scored 14 points. Kassandra Farley and Emma Johnston each scored eight for the Beavers.
Boys basketball
Houlton 68, Hodgdon 21 — Houlton never looked back in Saturday’s game as the team led 39-9 at halftime and 59-15 after three quarters. The Shires, now 4-0, received balance scoring as Keegan Gentle finished with 23 points, while Jaron Gentle had 11. Caleb Solomon added nine and Drew Foley chipped in eight. Josh Foster paced Hodgdon (2-2) with seven points
Presque Isle 62, Belfast 55 — Presque Isle’s Jonah Hudson scored 23 points to go along with seven rebounds, three assists and two steals, helping the 2-1 Wildcats to the tough road victory Saturday. Trace Cyr had 12 points and nine rebounds and Carter Rice added 10 points and four blocked shots. Belfast stayed in contention thanks to 11 3-point field goals.
Maine Central Institute 63, Caribou 55 — The Vikings’ offense was limited to 20 first-half points, but the visitors fought back to tie the game after three quarters before host MCI regained control and hit some late free throws to secure the win Saturday in Pittsfield.
Houlton’s Keegan Gentle, left, soars through the air as Hodgdon’s Josh Foster (14) and Dylan Durson defend during Saturday’s game in Houlton. (Joseph Cyr)
Parker Deprey scored 17 points, Sawyer Deprey added 14 and Isaac Marker tossed in 10 for the 1-2 Vikings.
“It was a difficult test on the road but a test we really wanted early in the season,” said Caribou coach Kyle Corrigan. “Everyone is predicting MCI to be right up at the top of Class B so seeing them early and playing a tough game on the road in a tough environment was really great for us.”
Central Aroostook 63, GHCA 53 — At Mars Hill Saturday, GHCA led 26-22 at halftime, but the Panthers came on strong in the second half. Ben Thomas led the charge with a game high 32 points for the Panthers, while Brayden Bradbury had 19 points. Parker Brewer had 15 points and Will Austin had 14 to lead GHCA.
Katahdin 60, Wisdom 54 — At Wisdom Saturday, the Cougars jumped to an 18-9 lead after one quarter, however Wisdom battled back and held a two point lead at the half. It stayed close most of the second half until Katahdin pulled away by 10 points twice midway through the fourth quarter and then held on for the six point win. John McNally led Katahdin with 20 points and 11 rebounds in the winning effort, while Blake Howes netted 14 points and Wesley Richardson 9 for the Cougars. The Pioneers were led by Mason Sirois with 21 points, followed by Carter Pelletier with 16 points, and Tyler Sinclair with 13.
Fort Kent 83, Fort Fairfield 42 — The Warriors ran past the Tigers in Fort Fairfield Friday behind Caleb Delisle’s 18 points and 17 more from Jace Rocheleau. Chase Griffeth knocked in four 3-pointers to pace 2-1 Fort Fairfield with 14 points. Wyatt Keegan and Colby Langner added 12 and 11, respectively, for the Tigers.
Easton 45, Ashland 32 — At Easton Friday, Matt Pangburn’s 11 points led a balanced scoring attack as the 2-2 Bears left the Hornets winless at 0-3. Camden Michaud scored nine for the winners, while Dylan Haley led the offense for Ashland with 17 points.
Houlton 68, Presque Isle 61 — At Houlton Thursday, the Shires pulled off the big win over Class B Presque Isle. Keegan Gentle led the way with 29 points for Houlton, while Nolan Porter had 24 points. Jonah Hudson paced the Wildcats with 26 points, Jason Dumais with 18 points and Caleb Wheaton 10.
Hodgdon 44, Easton 38 — At Easton Thursday, the Hawks received 15 points from Andrew Tuttle and 10 from Josh Foster to pick up the victory. Matthew Pangburn had eight to lead the Bears (2-2).
Caribou 81, Fort Kent 61 — Parker Deprey’s career-high 41 points lifted the Vikings to the road win, giving Kyle Corrigan his first varsity coaching victory.
“Parker did a fantastic job letting the game come to him,” Corrigan said. “As a player, it’s easy to start forcing things when you are feeling it, but Parker just continued to let the game flow and took opportunities as they presented themselves.”
Deprey finished with 17 field goals, including a pair of 3-pointers, and hit five free throws. The game was tied at 15 after one period but Caribou scored the first eight points of the second quarter to take control. Isaac Marker chipped in with 14 for the Vikings, while Caleb Delisle sparked Fort Kent with 21 points and Camden Jandreau tallied 19.
Washburn 58, Wisdom 57 (OT) — Freshman Beckam Vaughn converted a layup with 20 seconds to play in overtime and the Beaver defense prevented Wisdom from getting a shot off down the stretch. That sequence on Dec. 12 helped Washburn to consecutive victories on the heels of a 25-game losing streak. Aidan Churchill scored 18 points, Patrick Saucier had 14 and Colby Hewitt 10 to lead the way for the Beavers. Churchill and Hewitt each hit three 3-pointers. Jonah Babin tallied a game-high 26 points for the Pioneers.
Fort Fairfield 74, Katahdin 34 — The Tigers won their second consecutive game to begin the season last Wednesday, Dec. 12 as four of their players scored in double figures. Wyatt Keegan had 14 points, Avery Cormier 13, Dawson Watson 12 and Colby Langner 11 to pace Fort Fairfield in Wednesday’s game. John McNally scored 15 of Katahdin’s points.
Houlton 98, Hodgdon 35 — At Hodgdon Dec. 11, Jaron Gentled tossed in 19 points, while Hunter Sennett and Nick Brewer both added 17 and Ben Grant 12 for the Shires. Josh Foster had 14 points for the Hawks.
GHCA 45, Southern Aroostook 42 — At Dyer Brook Dec. 10, the visiting Eagles picked up the three-point win. Individual results were not reported.
Fort Fairfield 75, Easton 50 — The Tigers grabbed a nine-point lead after the first quarter and never looked back in an easy home win over the Bears Dec. 10. Dawson Watson was the game’s high scorer with 20 points and Chase Griffeth put in 16 more for Fort Fairfield. Matt Pangburn and Camden Michaud each scored 11 for Easton.
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- Central Aroostook’s Ashlee Harris, left, and Emma Ardell try to haul in the ball along the baseline during a Dec. 12 game in Houlton. (Joseph Cyr)
