Local girl basketball squads enjoyed a brief holiday break before returning to the courts.
In Class B North, Houlton (4-2) is off to a hot start. The Shires are ranked second in its division, following big wins over Caribou and Ellsworth this past week. Houlton has three big games on the schedule with matchups against Old Town on Dec. 27, John Bapst on Dec. 30 and Stearns on Jan. 2.
Caribou’s Emily Collins, left, goes up for a shot as Houlton’s Mia Henderson defends during a Dec. 19 game in Houlton. Houlton won 42-36. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
“We are playing with some confidence,” Houlton coach Shawn Graham said following the team’s Dec. 19 win over Caribou. “We’re playing good team defense right now.”
Hodgdon is also 4-2 to start the season in Class C North. The Hawks are ranked ninth in its region.
In Class D North, Southern Aroostook (6-0) is the top-ranked team in the region, while Katahdin (4-1) is ranked third and East Grand (0-6) is 12th.
The following is a recap of games played through Dec. 26.
Houlton 42, Caribou 36 — At Houlton Dec. 19, Rebecca Howe led all players with 17 points, with Teagan Ewings adding 11, Mia Henderson six, Olivia Henderson five and Drew Warman three.
Taylor LaBreck led Caribou with 13 points, while Paige Espling chipped in with eight, Selena Savage added seven, Renee Stubbs had five and Kim Susi had three points.
The two teams were tied 7-7 at the end of the first quarter, but Houlton took a 17-10 halftime lead that grew to 31-20 after three periods.
Fort Fairfield 48, Hodgdon 33 — At Fort Fairfield Dec. 20, the host Tigers received an 11-point effort from Kourtney West, while Riley Clough added nine and Cammi King-Demerchant had eight. For Hodgdon, Sabra Scott poured in a game-high 12 points, Marissa Dow added seven, Lauren McGillicuddy had five, Kylee Mooers four, Allie Winship three and Emma Drew two.
Fort Fairfield led 12-7, 24-13 and 37-27 at the quarter breaks.
Houlton 43, Ellsworth 41 — At Ellsworth Dec. 21, Olivia Henderson led the Shires with 12 points, while Mia Henderson added 10, Becca Howe chipped in nine, Teagan Ewings six, Drew Warman five and Emma Swallow one. Ellsworth’s individual scoring was not reported.
Southern Aroostook 46, Shead 37 — At Eastport Dec. 21, Southern Aroostook Community Schools’ Makaelyn Porter poured in 15 points, Paige Vose added 10, Cami Shields had seven, Kacy Daggett and Madison Russell both had six and Emma Nadeau two.
Caribou’s Taylor LaBreck, middle, battles for the ball with Houlton’s Olivia Henderson, right, and Mia Henderson during a Dec. 19 game. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
For Shead, Ryleigh Andrews had 10 points. Southern Aroostook led 23-10, 28-25, and 38-33 at the quarter breaks.
East Grand 16, Ashland 37 — At Ashland Dec. 21, Phoebe Foss had five points for the Vikings, while Madeline Cowger added four, Danlen Espenshield had three, Jordyn Cowger and Faith Lindsay each had two. For Ashland, Jamie Poulin had 14 points, Willow Hall added 11 and Dani Carter nine.
Ashland led 10-6, 19-11 and 29-13 at the quarter breaks.
Shead 62, East Grand 15 — At Eastport Dec. 23, Espenshield led the Vikings with eight points, while Foss added five and M. Cowger had two. Anasia Tucker led Shead with 12 points while Andrews added 11. The Vikings trailed 17-5, 27-7 and 44-7 at the quarter breaks.
Hodgdon 55, Van Buren 10 — At Van Buren Dec. 23, the Hawks received 16 points from Scott, while Winship added nine and Dow and Autumn Ganzel both had seven as Hodgdon rolled past Van Buren.
Katahdin 55, Easton 18 — At Stacyville Dec. 23, the Cougars handily defeated visiting Easton. Individual results were not reported.
