With the season officially at the halfway point, several local squads are busy jockeying for playoff positions. Four of the five teams in the Houlton Pioneer Times’ coverage area appear to be headed to the postseason as the Shires, Warriors, Vikings and Cougars are all in the mix.
The Southern Aroostook girls, despite a loss Monday evening to Woodland, remain the top seed in Class D North, according to the Maine Principals’ Association Heal Points Standings. As of Tuesday morning, the Warriors (5-2, 19.2593 points) were first, while Katahdin (5-4, 13.0247) was third and East Grand/Greater Houlton Christian Academy (4-4, 4.8148) was 10th.
The top 10 teams in Class D North qualify for the playoffs, so if things stay the way they are now, all three teams will qualify.
In Class C North, Hodgdon secured its first win in three years (see accompanying story). The Hawks (1-6, 3.1481) are ranked 15th, with only the top 12 squads qualifying for the playoffs.
Houlton (8-1, 33.6420) has a narrow lead over Presque Isle (7-1, 32.9012) for the top seed in Class B North.
The following is a recap of games played through Monday.
So. Aroostook 58, Woodland 66 — At Baileyville Monday, Southern Aroostook fell for just the second time on the season against a scrappy Woodland squad.
Lauren Cook scored 19 points, leading the Dragons, while Jennie Cox tallied 17 points and Sadie Smith added 16.
Freshman Katelyn Slauenwhite and eighth-grader Sydney Brewer both netted 16 points to lead Southern Aroostook, while freshman Kassidy Mathers added 14.
Woodland led 14-9, 26-19 and 41-38 at the quarter breaks.
Ashland 24, East Grand/GHCA 45 — East Grand/Greater Houlton Christian Academy surged to a four-point lead at halftime and then outscored Ashland 18-8 in the third quarter to earn the victory.
Junior Sarah Stoddard paced the Vikings with 19 points, while sophomore Hayleigh Shay added 14. Laura Sturgeon scored 10 points to lead the Hornets.
The two teams were tied 8-8 at the end of the first quarter, but the Vikings took an 18-14 lead into halftime and led 36-22 after three periods.
Katahdin 37, Stearns 72 — At Millinocket Monday, Peighton Ingersoll led a balanced-scoring attack with a game-high 19 points as Stearns rolled past Katahdin. Emma Alley added 18 points while Abby Russell and Jess Girsa chipped in with 12 and 11 points, respectively. McKenzie Carter chipped in eight points and hauled in 11 rebounds.
Katahdin was led by junior Georgia Landry with 12 points, while seniors Molly Cunningham and Courtney Stevens added eight and seven points respectively.
Stearns led 20-8, 39-14 and 50-27 at the quarter breaks.
Shead 61, East Grand/GHCA 42 — At Eastport Saturday, Holly Preston scored 17 points and dished 10 assists to propel Shead past East Grand/Greater Houlton Christian Academy. Cierra Seeley and Katelyn Mitchell each added 12 points for the Tigers.
For the Vikings, Shay led all scorers with 19 points and Sarah Stoddard contributed 15.
The Tigers led 20-4, 30-15 and 50-24 at the quarter breaks.
Washington Academy 34, Houlton 68 — At Houlton Saturday, senior Natalie Hill poured in 22 points and added four rebounds and four assists to key the Shiretowners past Washington Academy. Sophomores Kolleen Bouchard and Aspen Flewelling both had 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Shires.
For the Raiders (3-5), Caitlyn Lyons tallied 11 points and Rylea Steeves had eight.
Houlton led 21-5, 39-17 and 49-28 at the quarter breaks.
Hodgdon 36, Katahdin 55 — At Stacyville Dec. 30, Katahdin received a solid 21-point effort from senior Courtney’s Stevens to secure the victory over the Hawks. Landry added 12 points for the Cougars.
Sophomore Sydney Howell led the Hawks with nine points.
Houlton 52, Hermon 31 — At Hermon Dec. 30, Houlton broke open a fairly close game in the first half with a 15-4 run in the third quarter to cruise to the easy victory.
Bouchard (24 points and eight rebounds) and Flewelling (11 points and five rebounds) led the Shires offensively.
