Local hoop coaches see continual improvements with their teams

On Saturday, Woodland picked up wins in both the girl’s and boy’s basketball games with East Grand.
In the boy’s game, the Vikings were overpowered 61-20 at intermission, as the Dragons were victorious 115-40.     Kaleb Dicker led East Grand with 19 points.
For the Lady Vikings, the Dragons jumped to a 46-16 halftime lead and never looked back for a 90-29 win.
Kelsey Daoust led East Grand with 15 points.
In Stacyville, the Katahdin Cougars evened their season record to 2-2, with an 82-48 loss to Schenck.
The Cougars trailed 45-35 at intermission and then the Wolverines outscored Katahdin, 27-8 in the third en route to the win.
Ethan Qualey netted 19 points and Brandon Robinson chipped in with 12.
Quint, Adams happy with effort
In Friday night action, the Hodgdon teams played in Limestone, each team coming away with a victory.
In the girl’s game, the Lady Hawks jumped to a 13-3 first-quarter lead behind Chelsea Sloat’s nine points, only to see the score tied at halftime, 15-all. Hodgdon regained the lead at the end of the third, 21-19.
“The Eagles fought back in the fourth and took the lead with three minutes left in the game,” said Hodgdon coach Olin Quint. “We were down a point with less than a minute when Kate Duff drew a foul and made one of two free throws to send the game into overtime.”
In overtime, Hodgdon’s Haley Quint led all scorers with five points, lifting her team to the 35-32 win.
Sloat tossed in a game high 13 points and had five steals. According to Quint, Jillian London and Duff  were strong on the boards with 15 and 12 rebounds, respectively.
“After struggling in the second and third quarters with turnovers, we controlled the ball better in the fourth and overtime quarters,” said Quint. “Again, we did not play a smart floor game too many needless turnovers mostly coming from our passing game. But I was pleased with how our big girls controlled the boards.”
On the boy’s side, it was the Hawks bringing home a 50-25 win. Hodgdon built a 23-8 halftime lead and extended it to a 36-18 third-quarter lead.
“I was very excited for the kids,” said Hodgdon coach Jerry Adams. “We had to cut down on our turnovers and we took care of the press situation. The kids are starting to play better. They are playing with much more intensity.”
Adams is pleased with the teamwork and the defensive effort.
“We controlled the glass on both ends,” Adams said. “Rebounding was outstanding. The McGillicuddy boys are really coming into their own.”
Andrew and twin brother Daniel McGillicuddy paced Hodgdon’s offense with 19 and 13 points, respectively.
“It is probably one of the best games we’ve played all season,” Adams said. “I’m seeing progressive improvement every game. That’s all I can ask for. Our goal was to be .500 around Christmas time, we’ve accomplished that. So, now we are moving on to another one.”
At Madawaska, the Owls avenged their earlier season loss to Houlton with a 53-27 win over the Shires.
The Owls led 25-15 at halftime and then outscored Houlton, 12-3 in the third for a 37-18 advantage. Jordan Codrey led Houlton with nine points.
The Southern Aroostook Lady Warriors split their two-game series with the Washburn Beavers last Thursday night.
The Lady Warriors were edged 44-41.
With the game close throughout, the Lady Warriors trailed 34-33 after three, but in the decisive final period, Washburn’s Rebecca Campbell and Rachel Palmer sealed the win for Washburn, each scoring five points. Campbell finished with nine points and 10 rebounds, while Palmer scored 19 points and grabbed 18 rebounds.
For SACS, Liz Goodall netted 12 points and Brittany Charette dropped in 11 more.
Graham’s club handling pressure
In Houlton, the Lady Shires took on a pesky Fort Kent squad, hanging on for a 56-48 victory.
At the beginning of the game, the Warriors pressured Houlton’s ball handlers, which has given the Lady Shires problems in some games.
“We’ve spent time in practiced tweaking the press breaker and our delay offense,” said Houlton coach Shawn Graham. “I was pleased with the results of both.”
The Lady Shires handled the pressure well, building a 27-20 lead at intermission.
“I thought we took care of the basketball much better and cut the turnover ration in half from the previous game [Stearns],” Graham added.
The Lady Shires maintained the lead through the third, 42-30, but then the game became a bit ragged in the final stages, as Fort Kent made a run at Houlton.
“It did get hectic midway through the fourth,” Graham said. “But, after a couple of timeouts, I thought the girls settled in, keeping their composure and playing as a team. They did show a lot of heart.”
But, Fort Kent has given Houlton trouble in the past and it was no different this game.
“We did struggle putting the game away late from the line,” Graham said. “I think fatigue played a big factor and we were not using our legs. We are in pretty good shape overall, but with our style of play were not there just yet in terms of conditioning.”
The Lady Shires were led by Desiree Dow’s 16 points, eight rebounds and five steals. Lainey Herring had 14 points, 11 rebound and six steals, while Vanessa Sanderson fired in 17 points. Courtney Putnam added five points, including a clutch 3-pointer in the second period.
“Martha [McPartland] did a fantastic job on with our trapping defenses and Erica [Lackey] gave us some quality minutes off the bench with her hustle and defense,” Graham said.
Fort Kent was led offensively by Taylor Boucher with 18 points and Emily Pelletier with 10. Pelletier was coming off Player of the Week honors where she hit 15 3-pointers in two games.
“I thought our girls did a tremendous job limiting her touches and not allowing her to get shots off without being contested,” said Graham.
The Katahdin Lady Cougars handled East Grand, 74-39 behind Olivia McNally’s 22 points, Jalisa Moore’s 18 and Melissa Duffy’s 10.
The Lady Cougars led 24-8 in the first and 40-18 at halftime.
For East Grand, Kelsey Daoust had 24 points.
In the boy’s game, the Cougars won 76-25 after they opened the game with a 20-3 advantage and spreading the lead at intermission, 40-9. Lucas Craig and Josh Guiggey both tossed in 12 points for the Cougars, while Gage Lake scored 11 and Kolby Gallagher chipped in with 10.
For East Grand, Kaleb Dicker finished with 16 points.
The Greater Houlton Christian Academy teams took on Wisdom, both coming away with wins.
In girl’s action, GHCA won 49-33. Kasi Parker and Kari Brewer carried the scoring with 22 and 16 points, respectively.
The Lady Eagles held a 25-16 halftime advantage and extended in the third, 38-25.
In the boy’s game, the Eagles built a 36-14 halftime lead and never looked back, winning 80-50 behind Chad Duff’s 25 points and 10 rebounds. Zach Straubel tossed in 13 points and Micah Wiley added 11 for the winners.
In Fort Fairfield, the Hodgdon Hawks met defeat, 51-31. The Tigers held a 25-14 halftime cushion and extended it over three, 37-20.
Hodgdon’s Andrew McGillicuddy scored 10 points.
Last-second shot wins game;
Sleeper working Warriors
Last Wednesday, the Southern Aroostook Warriors battled the Ashland Hornets in Dyer Brook. The Warriors’ last second shot lifted them to a 71-69 victory.
The score was close throughout the game, with Southern Aroostook leading through the first half, 28-27. When the Warriors were out in front running, their transition game helped them extend their lead in the third, 53-45.
But, the Hornets used a tough interior game to climb back in and after a timeout, SACS coach Vaughn Sleeper drew up the perfect play for his son, Dakota.
“The play that we ran to score the winning basket will either draw the defense to open up the baseline cutters for the dish, or allow penetration on a one-on-one high percentage shot, while also positioning rebounders for the put back,” said coach Sleeper. “The boys ran it to perfection and left little time on the clock to seal the win.”
Dakota Sleeper (19 points and 12 assists) on the dribble was closely guarded by an Ashland defender, who slipped, and Sleeper drove in for the layup.
Cody Robinson netted 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Warriors, with Tyler Robinson tossing in 12 points and Mike Casey 10 more.
The Warriors were careless with the ball at the start of the game, as coach Sleeper said his players had 14 turnovers throughout the game, eight in the first quarter.
“Traveling violations for the most is where we need to improve,” he said. “The younger players need to calm down a bit  as they develop through  game experience.”
Once the Warriors get an advantage over their opponent, they need to continue to take care of the ball and build upon that lead.
“We need to learn to sustain early leads,” said Sleeper. “But, that comes with game experience and understanding what [components/aspects of the game] gave you the lead.”
However, Sleeper has a plan during those times when his team gets ahead of opponents.
“I am working to develop our bench at those times,” he explained, “which at times is a balancing act. But, it will make us a much deeper and stronger team down the stretch.”
Coach Sleeper is working on several aspects of the Warriors’ game including position and interior defense.
“We have been working on our foot work and positioning during practice lately, and that hopefully will pay dividends in the long run,” he said. “Rebounding and interior defense is another area we are working on, and look for that to improv, as well.”
On Tuesday, the Hawks overtook visiting Washburn, 60-49.
Washburn built an opening lead, 18-11, but in the second period, the Hawks outscored the Beavers, 19-4 for a 30-22 halftime lead en route to the win.
Chris Williams led Hodgdon with 21 points and five steals, while Dan McGillicuddy fired in 14 points and hauled down 10 rebounds and brother Andrew had 10 points. P.J. Lycette added 10 rebounds, six in the team’s comeback in the second period.