Solid defense helps Tiger boys discard Schenck, 55-39
By Ernie Clark
Bangor Daily News
BANGOR, Maine — Stout defense helped No. 3 Fort Fairfield advance in the Eastern Maine Class D boys basketball tournament with its quarterfinal victory Monday afternoon.
Robbie Watson scored 21 points as Fort Fairfield defeated No. 6 Schenck of East Millinocket 55-39.
The 16-4 Tigers play second-ranked Southern Aroostook in Thursday’s semifinal contest. The Warriors swept FF in the two regular season meetings.
Fort Fairfield applied a diamond-and-one defense to limit Schenck sophomore standout Justin Thompson to just four points before he fouled out early in the fourth quarter.
Senior Johnny Theriault drew the primary defensive assignment, with sophomore Chris Giberson handling those man-to-man duties when Theriault was out of the game.
“We’ve been working on it hard in practice every day, the kids bought into it real well, and it showed today,” said first-year Fort Fairfield coach Logan McLaughlin. “Theriault did an excellent job on Thompson, Giberson did an excellent job on him, and with the guys in the diamond, their movement and rotations were perfect.”
Watson scored 17 of his points during the final two quarters while helping the Tigers steadily extend a 23-18 halftime lead. The 6-foot-1 senior also grabbed eight rebounds.
Senior forward Hunter Beaulieu added 11 points — eight in the first half — and 11 rebounds, and classmate Caleb Daigle contributed seven points, seven rebounds and four assists.
“Some games we’ll get out and run a lot more, and other games we’ll end up slowing it down if we get a little lead,” said McLaughlin. “Normally we like to get out and run a little bit, but at the same time, we’ve got Hunter Beaulieu inside who can frustrate teams at times, and we got him a lot of looks early in the game.”
Ryan Leavitt led 15-5 Schenck with 11 points and six rebounds, Chris King scored nine points and Zack Smith had eight points and six rebounds.
Churchill and Jellison propel FF girls past East Grand
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
BANGOR, Maine — A strong all-around effort carried the No. 3 Fort Fairfield (18-2) Tigers past No. 6 East Grand, 54-29, Saturday evening in an Eastern Class D girls quarterfinal.
Fort Fairfield faces No. 7 Van Buren, who upset No. 2 Shead in the nightcap, Thursday, Feb. 19 at 2:05 p.m. in the semifinals.
The Vikings finish their season with a 12-6 record.
Junior guard Taylor Churchill led Fort Fairfield with 16 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, earning her the Darling’s/BDN Player of the Game honor. Churchill scored seven of her 16 points in the fourth quarter and was a defensive stalwart for the Tigers.
Senior forward Megan Jellison chipped in 13 points, converting many of those baskets from inside the paint as she used her 5-foot, 8-inch frame to establish dominance down low. Junior forward Teresa Maynard added eight points for the Tigers, also from the low post.
Senior forward Allie McEwen led East Grand with 16 points, including a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line. Sophomore forward Sarah Stoddard added 10 points.
“The game went as we hoped it would go, in terms of extending the floor to make it a 94-foot game,” said Fort Fairfield coach Larry Gardner. “We wanted to wear them (East Grand) down, but I think we got a little fatigued as well in the second quarter.
East Grand, appearing in a tournament game in Bangor for the first time in 13 years, scored the game’s first points, but when Fort Fairfield, a perennial tourney powerhouse in Class D, began pressing, the wheels began to unravel for the Vikings. Fort Fairfield rattled off 10 straight points to close out the first quarter up 16-4. East Grand never recovered.
“Our goal this season was to finish in the top six and make it to Bangor,” East Grand coach Mike Carlos said. “We achieved our team goals, but we fell short of exceeding that goal. It was a great year for the town of Danforth.”
