By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
CARIBOU – It’s been two years of late-season heartbreak for the Viking boys basketball team and a seven-year tournament drought for the Viking girls.
Contributed photo/jmavorphotography.com
Dayna Michaud tries to chase down a loose ball for the Vikings during a regular season game. Michaud, a senior, is a key defensive player for the Caribou girls, who enter the tourney as the No. 6 seed.
Coach Chris Casavant’s Caribou boys team have dropped two consecutive home preliminary playoff games and hope to put an end to that streak when the Hermon Hawks pay a visit tonight at 6 p.m.
The winner of the game has the enormous task of taking on defending Class B champion and undefeated and top-ranked Camden Hills in Saturday afternoon’s quarterfinal at the Bangor Auditorium.
For the Caribou girls, they are firmly into the Eastern Maine Class B Tournament field, nabbing the No. 6 position by virtue of four key victories during the regular season, over Mount Desert Island (the No. 5 seed in EM B) in Bar Harbor on Dec. 28, over John Bapst (No. 2 in B) at home Feb. 5 and twice over Houlton (No. 3 in EM Class C) Jan. 4 and Feb. 7.
A look at each team heading into the post-season follows:
Caribou boys
(12-6, eighth in EM Class B)
The Vikings played beyond the expectations of a lot of people, including their coach, during the 2010-11 regular season. During the preseason, Casavant wasn’t sure his team was going to be able to compete in the Big East Conference, but the Vikings proved otherwise by jumping out to a 4-0 start before taking Mount Desert Island to overtime on the road before losing. The team regrouped to win five of its next six and despite losing its final two contests ended up with 12 victories.
“Basically, these guys just bought into what I wanted to do,” Casavant said. “It really came down to that. I figured it would take quite awhile for this group to come together, but they bought into the system right off.”
Caribou’s success was predicated by its gritty man-to-man defense and patient offensive attack. The Vikings held opponents to 45 points or less on 12 occasions.
The team had two players step to the forefront after not being a part of the regular rotation the previous season. Seniors Stephen St. Peter and Roland Thibodeau had exceptional years.
St. Peter, a forward, averaged 11.1 points per game, was fifth in the Big East Conference in field-goal percentage at 52.63 percent, among the top 10 in free throw percentage (63 percent) and led the Vikes in rebounding with 4.75 per contest.
Contributed photo/beckysheaphoto.com
Caribou senior Stephen St. Peter releases a shot during an earlier matchup against Hermon, who the Vikings will take on again in a preliminary game tonight at CHS beginning at 6 p.m.
Thibodeau averaged 7 ppg, three rebounds and 1.5 steals per game and is one of Caribou’s top defensive players.
Matt Till, another senior, has had a down year offensively while being the focal point of opposing teams’ defense. He still scored at a 11.7 ppg clip, which puts him in the top 10 in the league, while his defense remained stellar as he averaged two steals per game.
Junior point guard Chad Caverhill, who rarely shot the ball during his freshman and sophomore years, ramped up his offensive play to the tune of a 9.1 ppg average. He is also a good foul shooter (eighth in the league at 65.6 percent) and like his starting mates excels on the defensive end of the floor, averaging 2.2 assists per game.
Branden Holdsworth, a senior, starts at center and gives the team an inside presence defensively with the ability to alter shots thanks to his 6-4 frame and long wingspan.
Senior Cole Sirois is the first Viking player off the bench, while Matt Milliard also sees spot action.
In Hermon, Caribou takes on a team that it split with during the regular season. However, the Hawks will have a much different look as their top offensive player, Taylor Gross, quit the team in late-January.
“They are the best matchup for us,” Casavant said. “We’re familiar with them and have had some success. Hopefully we’ll come up with a win this time.”
Caribou girls
(9-9, sixth place in EM Class B)
Ryan Deprey, in his first year at the helm of the Viking girls, has guided the team into its first tournament appearance since 2004.
Caribou was able to play the role of giant killer effectively by knocking off four teams with impressive records.
Leading the charge has been senior Jenna Selander, who leads the Big East Conference in scoring at 18.6 ppg and is also among the top five in free throw percentage and steals.
Selander frequently faces gimmick defenses, but her patience frees up opportunities for her teammates, who have taken advantage more often than not.
Sophomore Alexa Massey averages just a shade under 10 ppg and is in the top 10 in both field goal and free throw percentage.
Dayna Michaud, a senior, usually draws the opposing team’s best offensive player and has succeeded in that role while also chipping in on the offensive end.
Junior Jamie Martin and senior Danielle Violette round out the starting five, while players such as sophomores Rebecca McDougal, Katelyn Tardie and Jordyn Doucette are among the reserves.
Caribou faces No. 3 Medomak Valley of Waldoboro to open tournament play Friday afternoon at 5 p.m.
“They have three decent scorers, so we won’t be able to focus on just one player,” Deprey said. “They like to press, which should work in our favor because our best offense comes when we run the floor.”
Medomak Valley lost just twice during the season, but Caribou goes into the game winners of four of its last five contests.
“They are No. 3 for a reason, but we were able to beat some good teams, so we are going in with the attitude we can play with anybody,” he added.
