It has been a tough first month of hoops for some local schoolboy basketball teams, while other local squads have risen to the occasion.
Houlton (1-6, 1.1728 points) is tied for 14th in the Class B North region with Caribou and Foxcroft Academy as of Tuesday morning. At the moment, the Shires are not in the playoff picture, but there is still ample time to make a push to get to that point. The top 12 teams make the postseason. Orono (7-0, 22.9012) is currently in first place.
Hodgdon (5-2, 11.9136) is fifth in the Class C North region and in the mix for a playoff spot. George Stevens Academy (7-0, 21.9136) is the top-ranked squad in the division.
In Class D North, Southern Aroostook (4-2, 11.29.63) is third, while East Grand/GHCA (2-4, 5.4321) is sixth and Katahdin (2-5, 1.6049) is 12th. The top 10 teams make the playoffs. Easton (5-1, 18.8889) is the top-ranked squad.
The following is a recap of games played through Monday.
Foxcroft Academy 59, Houlton 52 — At Houlton Monday, the Shires’ attempt to rally from a 41-26 third-quarter deficit fell short as Foxcroft converted 14 of 22 free throws in the final period to secure the first win of the year for the Ponies.
Jared Fox led the way with 14 points, while Nick Perfitt and Jacob Brown had 12 apiece.
Drew Dankert recorded 17 points to lead Foxcroft, while Dylan Harmon-Weeks added 12.
Foxcroft led 16-8, 28-17 and 41-26 at the quarter breaks.
So. Aroostook 87, Ashland 32 — At Ashland Dec. 23, the Warriors rolled to the lopsided victory over Ashland before the holiday break. Individual scoring results were not reported.
Katahdin 31, Greenville 49 — At Greenville Dec. 23 the Lakers’ Nick Foley and Tim White led a balanced-scoring attack with 12 points each en route to the win over Katahdin. Noah Pratt added 10 points for Greenville.
Brody Guiggy led the Cougars with 14 points.
Greenville led 13-11, 23-22 and 34-25 at the quarter breaks.
Caribou 37, Houlton 44 — At Houlton Dec. 23, the Shires earned their first victory of the season with the win over Caribou.
“Our in game execution was almost perfect,” said Houlton coach Dillon Kingsbury. “We did all the little things we’ve been preaching as a team in practice last night to get the win. It’s very early in the season. I keep saying the season is a marathon not a sprint. We have a long road ahead of us to be consistently successful, but last night was a big step in the right direction.”
The Shires used a balanced scoring attack that included a solid showing from the foul line. Houlton converted 18 of 29 free throws (62 percent) in the victory.
Garrett Ring and Brown tossed in 12 points each to lead the Shires, while Fox added eight and Cameron Cleary and Cameron Graham each chipped in six.
For Caribou, Donovan Savage poured in a game-best 21 points.
Houlton led 12-11 at the end of the first quarter, but the Vikings took a 19-16 lead into the locker room at halftime. The two squads were tied at 27-27 after three periods.
Shead 48, Hodgdon 52 — At Hodgdon Dec. 22, Jimmy Buzzell led all players with 15 points for the Hawks, while Daden Palmer added 12 and Devin Ramsey chipped in 10. For the Tigers, Darrin Turner tallied 13 points.
Shead led 14-11 after the first quarter and took a three-point lead into the half (24-21).
“In the second half we held (Shead) to 14 total points,” Hodgdon coach Rob Smith said. “At the end of the third quarter it was 34-30 Hodgdon. In the second half we shot 20 free throws and made 14 of them. We started to get the ball inside more in the fourth quarter and we either made the shot or got fouled on the attempt.”
