The Houlton Shiretowners are in third place of the Class C boys Heal Point standings with a 9-2 record behind No. 1 Central, which is 10-2 and No. 2 Washington Academy, which is 8-3.
Rounding out the top 11 qualifiers in Class C are: George Stevens Academy (7-3); Calais (7-2); PCHS (10-1); Orono (7-4); Narraguagus (5-5); Bucksport (5-6); Dexter (5-5) and Lee Academy (6-5).
Last Saturday, the Shiretowners came from behind to overtake visiting Calais, 51-45.
The Blue Devils led 18-10 to start the game and held a narrow, 25-21, halftime advantage. In the third, the Shires turned the momentum, outscoring the Blue Devils, 15-4, to take a 36-29 lead en route to the win.
Kyle Bouchard led all scorers with 20 points, while pulling down 14 rebounds and Jake Drew tossed in 15 points.
For Calais, Tyler Niles led the way with 15 points.
The Houlton boys broke free in the third quarter to pick up a 53-40 win over host Stearns last Wednesday night.
Seniors Drew and Dan Howe each threw in 11 points, while Noah Holmes added 10 more for the winners.
Marc Mornault scored 17 and Noah Ingersoll had 10 for the Minutemen.
Houlton led 18-11 to open the game, but at halftime the score was even at 24-all. After three, the Shires had staked a 43-34 lead en route to the win.
In Class C, the Hodgdon Hawks are in the playoff hunt in seventh place with a 6-4 record. Taking top spot in the standings is Washburn (10-0); Southern Aroostook (8-1); Fort Fairfield (8-2); Easton (7-2); Schenck (8-2); and Machias (7-2).
Capping off the top 15 qualifiers are: Van Buren (5-5); Shead (6-2); Bangor Christian (4-6); Katahdin (5-4); Woodland (3-7); Ashland (3-7); Central Aroostook (3-8); and Wisdom (3-8). The East Grand boys are currently in 17th with a 1-7 record.
Last Saturday, the Hawks pulled out a close game over the Central Aroostook Panthers, 45-43, in Mars Hill.
Daden Palmer led the Hawks with 17 points, followed by Jimmy Buzzell with 13.
Caleb Harris scored 11 for the Panthers, while Riley McGrath added 10 more.
On Monday in Mars Hill, the Panthers hosted Southern Aroostook. The Warriors rolled to a 65-40 win behind Nolan Altvater’s 26 points and Jackson Mathers’, 18.
McGrath led Central Aroostook with 13 points and Dustin Pryor netted 11.
Last Saturday in Dyer Brook, the Warriors grabbed an early lead and never looked back for a 67-56 win over Van Buren.
The Warriors started the game with a 22-9 lead and held a 47-25 halftime cushion. After three, the Warriors led 61-40, but the Crusaders did make a run (16-6) in the waning minutes of the game.
Cam Landry keyed the Warrior offense with 23 points, while Altvater added 19 more points.
For Van Buren, Justin Sytulek led all scorers with 26 points and Andre Rossignol netted 18.
Last Thursday in Dyer Brook, it was a game of the unbeatens, as Washburn and Southern Aroostook matched up.
The Beavers came away with a 63-42 victory.
Washburn rattled off seven points before the Warriors got on the scoreboard. At the end of the first, the Beavers were ahead 10-5, while at halftime, they held a 28-19 advantage. In the third, the Warriors cut into the lead, 40-32, but could not recover, as Washburn turned up the heat in the final minutes.
Mathers recorded 14 points, while Landry dropped in 11 and Altvater had eight.
For Washburn, Jarrett Olson scored a game-high 19 points and Cameron Bragg tossed in 15 more.
In Danforth last Saturday, the Vikings picked up a 58-42 win over Limestone/MSSM, with Jimmy Brittain scoring 16 points and Alex Stoddard chipping in with 13.
