Hotham hits 1,000-point mark
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
For the second time this season, a schoolgirl athlete has joined the 1,000-point club. Fort Fairfield’s Amanda Hotham accomplished the remarkable feat Monday evening against Easton. Hotham, only a junior, is the first girl at Fort Fairfield to reach this scoring plateau.
Staff Photo/Kevin Sjoberg
HITS MILESTONE — Junior forward Amanda Hotham became the first Fort Fairfield girls basketball player ever to reach the 1,000-point mark for a career. She reached the achievement Monday in the first quarter of her team’s game at Easton. Hotham joined Shawn Manter and Jon Nichols on the school’s 1,000-point club. From left are, her sister Melissa, coach Larry Gardner, Amanda Hotham, athletic director Tim Watt, mother Beth Hotham and father Nathan Hotham.
The previous record holder for girls was Danielle Searles, who tallied 960 career points before graduating in 2004. John Nichols, a 1996 graduate, is the school’s all-time leading scorer. Shawn Manter (Class of 1989) is the only other 1,000-point scorer for the Tigers.
As impressive as that accomplishment is, it wasn’t the only record Hotham set this past week. On Saturday against Van Buren, she set a school record for most points in a game with 41.
“She is a special player,” Fort Fairfield coach Larry Gardner said.
Season winds down
The postseason looms ever closer, which is good news for many local squads who are in solid playoff position. As of Tuesday morning, the Maine Principals’ Association Heal Point standings revealed four of the six local teams would qualify for the postseason.
In Eastern Class B, Presque Isle (11-1, 71.2963) is the top-ranked team in the 19-squad region. The top 10 teams make the playoffs with the top six earning a first-round bye directly to Bangor. The Wildcats have already punched their ticket to the Bangor Auditorium.
In Eastern Class D, Washburn (12-1, 51.6104 points) is the No. 1 seed; Central Aroostook (11-2, 42.7923) is second; Fort Fairfield (11-1, 33.7691) is fourth; Easton (6-7, 9.0886) is 11th; and Ashland (3-10, 1.9281) is 15th.
The top 10 teams in the 20-team region qualify for the playoffs, with seeds 1-6 earning a first-round bye directly to Bangor. Easton is less than one point away from the 10th and final playoff spot. The Bears will likely need to notch a couple of wins in their final five games if they want to squeak into the playoffs.
The following is a recap of games played through Monday.
Washburn 58, Ashland 33 — At Washburn Monday, Rebecca Campbell tallied 13 points, while Carmen Bragg added 12 for the Beavers. Brooke LaBelle netted 16 for the Hornets in the loss.
Fort Fairfield 65, Easton 37 — At Easton Monday, Hotham’s 20 points led the Tigers, while teammate Danielle Tracy added 10. Ariana Babineau sparked the Bears with 12 points, while Mindy Desmond added 11 and Carla Halvorson 10.
Central Aroostook 48, Katahdin 37 — At Stacyville Monday, Vicki McIntyre netted 23 points to lead the Panthers over Katahdin. Kristin Long added 14 points for CA. Megan Merry paced Katahdin with 11 points. Junior guard Rachael Grew, out of the Panther lineup since suffering a wrist injury Jan. 7, returned after missing three games and scored three points.
Staff Photo/Joseph Cyr
ON THE MOVE — Easton sophomore guard Carla Halvorson tries to dribble past Southern Aroostook’s Jasmine Rockwell during Saturday’s game in Dyer Brook. The Warriors won the game, 58-32.
Southern Aroostook 58, Easton 32 — At Dyer Brook Saturday, Jasmine Rockwell netted 18 points to spark the Warriors. For Easton, Halvorson and Babineau both had 10 points.
Presque Isle 37, Old Town 29 – Chandler Guerrette had nine points and Megan Ireland and Chelsea Nickerson each had seven as PI got past the Coyotes.
“We were 2 for 21 from three-point land and 9 for 31 on two-point shots,” said PI coach Jeff Hudson. “We need to refocus, execute better and be more discipined in key situations.”
Limestone-MSSM 48, Ashland 44 — At Ashland Saturday, Stephanie Leighton’s 14 points carried the Eagles over Ashland. Rylee Graham tallied 11 points to pace the Hornets.
Fort Fairfield 63, Van Buren 37 — At Fort Fairfield Saturday, Hotham netted 41 points to carry the Tigers past Van Buren. Parise Rossignol had 23 points for the Crusaders.
Fort Fairfield 64, Wisdom 24 — At St. Agatha Thursday, Hotham scored 16 points and Kellyn McGillan added 10 points as Fort Fairfield defeated Wisdom.
Van Buren 53, Ashland 38 — At Ashland Wednesday, Rossignol scored 25 points to lift the Crusaders past Ashland. Ashlie Wilson added 19 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for Van Buren. Whitney Donovan led Ashland with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Anna Paradis had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Washburn 75, GHCA 20 — At Washburn, Tuesday, Jan. 18, Rebecca Campbell tossed in 24 points as Washburn rolled past Greater Houlton Christian. Kennedy Churchill added 11 points for the Beavers.
Fort Fairfield 65, Hodgdon 44 — At Fort Fairfield, Tuesday, Jan. 18 Sydney Churchill and Brooke Beaulieu led the Tigers with 17 points apiece, while Hotham chipped in 16 points. Mariah Wiley and Brittany Davies had 10 points apiece for Hodgdon.
