Beaver senior hits 1,000 mark
By Joseph Cyr
Sports Editor
The Washburn girls basketball team grabs the spotlight this week as one of its players joined an elite group of athletes. And with the season half over, the playoff picture is beginning to take shape for girls basketball teams.
The prognosis looks good for several Aroostook County squads, while others will have some work to do if they are to get back in the chase.
As of Tuesday morning five of the six girls squads in the newspaper’s coverage area were in a position to grab a playoff spot.
In Eastern Class B, Presque Isle (6-1, 25.9259 points) slipped to fourth after its loss to John Bapst this week. Medomak Valley of Waldoboro (9-0, 29.7222) is the lone undefeated team in the region and is currently the top seed.
In Eastern Class D, Washburn (8-1, 26.0276) is the top-ranked team, followed closely by Central Aroostook (8-1, 21.5686) in second place. Fort Fairfield (6-1, 12.8758) is fifth; Easton (5-3, 5.2306) is seventh. Ashland (2-6, 1.3725) is 14th, with only the top 10 qualifying.
The following is a recap of games played through Monday.
Washburn 53, GHCA 20 — At Presque Isle Monday, Washburn’s Rebecca Campbell broke the 1,000-point scoring plateau as she sparked the Beavers to victory. She becomes just the fifth girl in the school’s history to score 1,000 points. Previous 1,000-point scorers were Glenda Fox, Dawn Oldmixon, Kim Richardson and Amy O’Donnell. Fox is the school’s all-time leading scorer for girls with 1,289 points.
Contributed photo/Reflections Photography by cts
HITS MILESTONE — Rebecca Campbell, a senior forward for the Washburn Beavers girls’ basketball team, hit the 1,000-point mark of her career during the first quarter of Monday’s game against Greater Houlton Christian Academy at UM-Presque Isle. She became the fifth Washburn girl to reach the mark, joining Glenda Fox, Dawn Oldmixon, Kim Richardson and Amy O’Donnell. With her during a presentation at the game are, from left, her father Dick, sister Emily and mother Cindy.
“Rebecca has always been a great shooter and she has developed the rest of her game as each year has passed,” SAD 45 Athletic Director Ron Ericson said. “She has played on a tournament team every year that she has been in high school.”
Campbell needed nine points coming into the game and achieved that mark in the first quarter. She finished with 11 points on the night.
Rayah Saucier and Carmen Bragg each had eight for Washburn, while Meghan Saucier added seven.
Van Buren 62, Ashland 47 — At Van Buren Monday, Whitney Donovan tallied 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the losing effort for Ashland. Adrianna Paradis added nine points, seven rebounds and four steals, while Brooke LaBelle added nine points.
Parise Rossignol scored 31 points to pace Van Buren.
Washburn 53, Ashland 23 — At Ashland Saturday, the visiting Beavers had no trouble with Ashland. The Beavers led 19-4, 29-9 and 44-11 at the quarter breaks.
For Washburn, Campbell netted 17 points, Bragg added 10; Sarah Sjoberg, seven; R. Saucier and M. Saucier both had six.
For Ashland, Paradis and Rylee Graham each had six points.
“Once again, our shooting percentage killed us,” Ashland coach Kevin Paradis said. “We shot only 17 percent from the floor (eight for 47).”
Fort Fairfield 67, Limestone-MSSM 24 — At Fort Fairfield Saturday, Tiger Amanda Hotham netted a season-best 30 points and also added 15 rebounds to carry Fort Fairfield past the Eagles. Danielle Tracy added 15 points for Fort Fairfield, while Emily Blaisdell chipped in eight.
For Limestone-MSSM, Amanda Allen had nine points.
John Bapst 57, Presque Isle 53 — At Bangor Saturday, the Wildcats fell for the first time on the season in a closely fought contest with John Bapst. With the win, John Bapst improved to 6-1 on the year. Kayla Richards paced Presque Isle with 16 points, while Meredith Stewart chipped in 11.
Abby Pyne had 25 points to lead John Bapst.
Central Aroostook 55, Katahdin 21 — At Mars Hill Friday, the Panthers notched the lopsided win, but it was not without a costly price. Panther Rachael Grew fell awkwardly in the game, fracturing her wrist.
According to CAHS Athletic Director Ryan Guerrette, Grew was to see an orthopedic specialist on Monday to determine the severity of the break. She will miss at least two weeks, but could be out longer, Guerrette said.
Vicki McIntyre led the Panthers with 18 points, while Kristen Long added 12 points, 10 steals and eight rebounds. Grew chipped in 10 points before leaving the game with the injury.
Easton 61, Ashland 31— At Ashland Thursday, Easton saw three players score in double digits, resulting in a lopsided victory. Carla Halvorson and Ariana Babineau each netted 16 points for the Bears, while Mindy Desmond added 12.
For Ashland, Kayla Cote led the way with 12 points, while Graham added eight.
Easton led 16-1, 28-10 and 44-20 at the quarter breaks.
“This was the first game that we came out strong both offensively and defensively from the tipoff,” Easton coach Rachel Tomlinson said. “We really slowed the game down to our tempo, and were patient on offense, which we have not been able to do all season.”
Easton also used its height advantage to control the offensive and defensive glass.
The Bears were a perfect 9-for-9 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.
Central Aroostook 53, Wisdom 19 — At Mars Hill Thursday, the Panther girls had little trouble with the visiting Wisdom Pioneers. All 11 players on the Central Aroostook roster saw action in the game. Grew led the Panthers with 16 points, including three 3-pointers. McIntyre added 11 points; Kayla Cushman and Long, each had eight.
For Wisdom, Hayley Cyr tallied 10 of her team’s 19 points.
REBOUND —Panther Kristen Long, left, reaches for the rebound as teammate Sarah Brewer looks on during Thursday’s win over Wisdom.
IN TRAFFIC —Panther Sarah Brewer readies to take a shot as Wisdom’s Hayley Cyr, back, and Alyssa Dummond defend. The action took place during Thursday’s game in Mars Hill, won by Central Aroostook, 53-19.
Fort Fairfield 71, Hodgdon 61 — At Hodgdon Wednesday, the Hawks gave Fort Fairfield a tough contest, but ultimately the Tigers prevailed. Fort Fairfield had to overcome a 48-44 deficit after three quarters by outscoring Hodgdon 27-13 in the final period.
Danielle Tracy led Fort Fairfield with 23 points, including a perfect 9-for-9 from the foul line. Hotham chipped in 22 points, followed by Beaulieu with 13 and Sydney Churchill, 11
For Hodgdon, Mariah Wiley netted 20 points.
EYEING THE RIM — Danielle Tracy, left, of Fort Fairfield looks to the basket as Hodgdon’s Maya Gardiner blocks her path. The Tigers won last Wednesday, 71-61.
Washburn 56, Easton 37 — At Washburn Jan. 4, Campbell tallied 21 points to lift the Beavers past Easton. Bragg added 12, while Sjoberg had 10.
For Easton, Brooke Hammond tallied nine points, while Desmond added eight.
Presque Isle 69, Fort Kent 36 — At Fort Kent Jan. 4, Chandler Guerrette netted 13 points to lift the Wildcats past Fort Kent. Stewart added in 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Richards chipped in 11 points; Chelsea Lynds, eight; and Megan Ireland, seven.
Presque Isle led 23-15, 42-24 and 56-30 at the quarter breaks.
