The last two years were rough for the Presque Isle boys’ varsity basketball team, but the Wildcats are back to their winning ways at the start of the 2016-17 season.
Presque Isle has demonstrated gritty defensive play over the past two weeks, holding opponents to an average of 40 points per game during the final four contests, and has also featured a balanced scoring attack in running off five consecutive victories.
The 5-1 Wildcats, winners of five in a row since a season-opening loss to Hermon, are up to third place in the most recent Heal Point standings for Class B North, with a game against No. 4 Central (also 5-1) in East Corinth slated for Saturday preceding home contests Jan. 11 against Caribou and Jan. 14 against Orono.
“This team has really come together as a group and have really bought into what it takes to win,” said fifth-year head coach Terry Cummings. “It starts at the defensive end and we’ve been outstanding. The guys have been resilient and it’s nice to see their hard work being rewarded.”
The Wildcats’ biggest and most impressive win of the season came on Saturday against the defending regional champion Ellsworth Eagles. In the road contest, PI fell behind 9-0 early but rallied to take the lead late in the first quarter while holding Ellsworth without a point over an eight-minute stretch. The Wildcats dominated the second half en route to a 54-31 triumph.
Grant Stewart scored a season-high 14 points, while Jake Kinney had 11, Griffin Guerrette 10, Jonah Hudson nine and Bradley Kinney eight to go along with 14 rebounds. The Wildcats held Ellsworth’s leading scorer, Bryce Harmon, to six points after he had been averaging 18 entering the contest.
“It was very rewarding to see the guys execute a game plan pretty much to perfection,” Cummings said.
On Monday, playing without their leading scorer Guerrette, who was out with an illness, the Wildcats still dominated at Fort Kent, 76-43. Bradley Kinney led the way with 16 points, Jake Kinney added 14, Hudson had 12 and Patrick Cash came off the bench to score nine for PI, which bolted out to a 22-point halftime lead and cruised from there.
The Presque Isle girls had a tough battle with Ellsworth Saturday, but came out on top by a 59-52 final. The Wildcats are in sixth place in Class B North with their 4-2 record. Emily Wheaton buried six fourth-quarter free throws and finished with 20 points to lead the PI offense.
Savannah Rodriguez had all 10 of her points in the second half and Emily Lagerstrom also had 10 points for the winners, who play at Central Saturday before hosting Caribou Jan. 10.
In other girls’ action this past week, Fort Fairfield split its games, losing at home to Shead last Tuesday, 63-42, before bouncing back for an impressive 50-28 win at Washburn Monday. Cammi King-DeMerchant had 11 points in the win over the Beavers and 10 in the loss to the Tigers to lead the Tigers, who are now 2-5 and in ninth place in Class C North.
Washburn’s Kassie Farley scored 13 points in the loss to Fort Fairfield. The Beavers also fell at Central Aroostook last Wednesday, 47-40, with Farley posting a career-best 25 points in the loss. Breann Bradbury and Ashlee Harris led the Panthers with 16 points each. Bradbury fired in 24 points in Monday’s 64-48 win over Easton. Delaney Leach poured in 23 for the Bears.
Easton, who lost at Madawaska and then defeated Hodgdon, is still in first place in Class D North with a 5-2 record, but CA is second at 5-1 and Washburn is seventh at 3-3. The Ashland Hornets moved up to sixth with their 3-4 record after stopping East Grand Saturday, 30-21, and Wisdom Monday, 37-6.
The Ashland boys garnered their first win Saturday, stopping East Grand, 38-33. Kyle Beaulier’s 12 points led the Hornets, while Lucas Craig chipped in with 10. The Hornets fell to 1-5 after being nipped by Wisdom at St. Agatha Monday, 57-55. Beaulier had 21 and teammate Steven Bellanceau 16 in the loss. The Hornets are in 13th place in the 15-team division.
Easton (6-2) and Central Aroostook (4-2) had a key boys’ clash Tuesday night at the Barn in Easton. The teams went into the contest ranked third and fourth, respectively. Easton beat Madawaska, 70-48, behind six 3-pointers and 20 points by Noah Hanscomb and Central Aroostook fell to Fort Fairfield (now 4-1 and in second place in Class C), 60-38, in their lone games played last week. The Washburn Beavers are in sixth place with their 2-3 record. They lost at Hodgdon last Tuesday, 70-56, despite 25 points from senior McCall Turner.
