Caribou defeats PI to take girls’ rec hoop tournament

     FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — The Caribou Parks and Recreation Department prevailed in the Feb. 27, 2016 Northern Maine Community Recreation Association grades 4-6 girls’ basketball tournament.

     Caribou won the single-elimination event by topping Presque Isle in the finals, 29-22.

     En route to the finals, Caribou also stopped Fort Fairfield, 30-17, and Ashland, 30-20. PI downed Mars Hill in the opening round, 20-10, before downing Washburn in the semifinals, 28-14.

     In the championship game, Caribou took the lead early and never gave it up in registering the victory. Ashlyn Bouchard netted 13 points and Salena Savage and Olivia Leichliter contributed eight and six, respectively, for the winners, while Faith Sjoberg scored 11 points and Myah Bragdon netted six to lead Presque Isle.

     In the semifinals, Bouchard tallied 10 points, while Savage, Caiah Rosado and Jessica Soucy were also part of a balanced attack with six apiece in the win over Ashland. Sydney St. Peter notched 12 in a losing cause.

     Eleven of Bouchard’s 13 points came in the first half of Caribou’s win over FF. Soucy posted 10 points in the triumph, while Camryn Ala totaled 11 and McKenna Mathie six to account for all of Fort Fairfield’s points.

     PI’s run to the title game included the opening win over Mars Hill which saw Sjoberg total 12 points and Kayleigh Coy contributed five more. Liberty Fulton was the high scorer for Mars Hill.

     Sjoberg had 13 points and Abby Chase chipped in with six, while Mia Casavant grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to help PI get past Washburn in the semis. Kassidy Blackstone was the leading point scorer for Washburn.

     Players named to the all-tournament team were Caribou’s Bouchard and Savage, Presque Isle’s Sjoberg, Fort Fairfield’s Ala and Ashland’s St. Peter.