High school basketball season opens

    The high school basketball season opened with plenty of action.
    GHCA 2-1 on season; Lady Eagles winless .
    On Monday, Greater Houlton Christian Academy improved its record to 2-1, with wins over Ashland, 54-38 and Van Buren, 57-41. They lost to Easton, 64-62.
    At the University of Maine at Presque Isle, the Eagles built a 21-13 halftime lead and extended it to 37-25 after the third.
    Micah Wiley and Ethan Holmes both scored 19 points for the Eagles, and Wiley grabbed 21 rebounds.
    On Saturday against Van Buren, the Eagles held a 29-16 halftime advantage and extended it to 42-25 after three periods of play.
Pioneer Times photograph
BLOCK — Southern Aroostook’s Pat Goodall blocks Limestone’s Cody Bryant on his way to the hoop during Monday’s game in Dyer Brook. The Warriors won, 74-50.
    Wiley was the point man for GHCA, knocking down 21 points, while Holmes scored 15 points and grabbed 20 rebounds.
     In the junior varsity contest, Van Buren won 48-29.
     The night before, the Eagles fell by a basket to host Easton. The game was close in the first half, as the Bears held a one-point halftime lead, 23-22. The Bears came out in the third to push their advantage to 46-40, but the Eagles battled back in the final period.
    Wiley and Holmes again led GHCA with 18 and 17 points, respectively.
    The Bears used a well-balanced scoring attack behind Reid Clark with 17 points; Holden Turner netted 16 and Cody Tompkins added 12.
    In girls action, the GHCA Lady Eagles fell to 0-2 with losses to Ashland and Easton.
    Against Ashland on Monday at UMPI, the Lady Eagles trailed 34-12 at halftime, as the Hornets outscored them, 22-15 in the second half for the win.
    Lauren Bishop paced GHCA’s offense with 10 points, while Amber Michaud dropped in six points and Allison Little added four more.
    Against host Easton last Friday, the GHCA girls were defeated, 53-16.
    The Bears outscored the Lady Eagles in the second quarter, 18-2 for a 29-5 halftime advantage.
    Bishop led GHCA with seven points.
    SACS overtake Eagles, tripped by Panthers
    In Dyer Brook on Monday, the Southern Aroostook boys took a 31-22 halftime advantage and continued to build momentum in the second half, overtaking Limestone/MSSM, 74-50.
    The game was highlighted with a 25-point performance by freshman Rob Rockwell, including five 3-pointers and a 16-point, 10-rebound performance by junior Pat Goodall.
    “Cody was plagued with foul trouble, but was still effective with 13 points,” said SACS coach Vaughn Sleeper. “Sophomore Jesse Boulier scored 10 points in the second half when we took control of the game. I am looking for him to gain a lot of confidence from last night. I am also looking for our inside game to strengthen, as junior Joe Frazier becomes more used to the speed of the varsity game and gets more experienced in the paint.”
    In the junior varsity game, SACS won, 54-29.
    At home on Friday, the Warriors stayed close to the visiting Central Aroostook Panthers, as the score was tied 18-all after the opening quarter. But, the Panthers took control of the second stanza, taking a 40-27 halftime advantage. In the third, the Panthers used balanced scoring to forge ahead, 57-40.
    Caleb Kelly led four Panther players in double figures with 20 points, while Brendan York scored 17; Mike McClung dropped in 14 and Logan McLaughlin finished with 12.
GOING BY — Southern Aroostook’s Jesse Boulier gets ready to go up for a shot, as he is closely guarded by a Limestone defender. The Warriors defeated the Eagles, 74-50.
    For the Warriors, Robinson was high-scorer with 24 points, while Rockwell netted 21 and Goodall added 15.
    “In the Central Aroostook game, we came out with a lot of intensity and took an early lead, but the press bothered us, mainly because of inexperience, which is to be expected early on,” said Sleeper. “Central Aroostook shot the ball well at times, and McClung was a beast defensively. Central Aroostook is a very tough team, which is expected to challenge for a title. So, overall I was pleased with our effort and to see the guys being more consistent, as they get  more experience at the varsity level.”
Shires overpowered in season opener
    The Houlton Shiretowners opened their season on Saturday in Madawaska, with an 85-51 loss.
    The Shires trailed the Owls, 24-15 to start the game and fell behind by 20 points at halftime, 46-26. The Owls outscored Houlton, 19-11 in the third to build the lead to 65-37.
    Daniel Swallow and Micah Goetsch led Houlton with 10 and 11 points, respectively.
    For the Owls, D.J. Gendreau was the game-high scorer and rebounder, with 25 points and 14 rebounds, while Matt Deschenes added 20 and Jonathan Lee chipped in with 11.
    In the junior varsity contest, Madawaska won, 58-44.
Vikings struggle
    The East Grand Vikings were defeated in their season opener in Easton, 90-9.
    Reid Clark led a the balanced scoring attack with 22 points, while Jared Hafford had 12 points; Garrett Gray, 11 points and Jonah Bacon added 10 points.
    For the Vikings, Dustin Morse scored six points.
    In the j.v. game, Easton won, 47-9.
Lady Hawks pick up come-from-behind victory
    The Hodgdon girls opened their season on Monday in Stacyville where the Lady Cougars pushed the Lady Hawks to a decisive fourth period. Hodgdon eventually won,  32-26.
    After starting the game on top, 7-4, the Lady Hawks were outscored by their hosts, 11-4, in the second period. The Lady Cougars held a slim 21-17 advantage after the third. But, in the final quarter, Hodgdon’s Lacey McQuarrie scored seven of her 10 points, as the Lady Hawks squeeked out the win.
    “We had great looks at the hoop,” said Hodgdon coach Vaughn Farrar. “We just couldn’t knock down shots we usually make.”
    The Lady Hawks may have been feeling some first game jitters.
AROUND — Southern Aroostook’s Cody Robinson moves around a Limestone defender for a shot at the basket during last Friday night’s game in Dyer Brook. The Warriors won, 74-50
    “Katahdin is always a tough place for us to play,” Farrar said. “We stayed focused and knew we could do it.”
    In the fourth quarter, Farrar said his players didn’t panic.
    “Things started to finally go our way,” he said. “We just never gave up on ourselves and it paid off.”
    Katahdin’s Megan Merry netted 13 points.
Lady Warriors defeated
    In Mars Hill on Monday, the Southern Aroostook Lady Warriors fell behind 19-9 to open the game and were outscored 15-4 in the second to trail 34-13 at halftime. Central Aroostook remained in control in the third, 46-22 en route to the 60-40 win.
    Vicki McIntyre led CAHS with 28 points and 10 rebounds, while Kristen Long netted 12 points and grabbed 10 boards.
    “You need to give credit where credit is due,” said SACS coach Cliff Urquhart. “The better team won. McIntyre is a standout player and she played to her potential. We didn’t play terrible defense, we made them take poor shots, but we just gave up too many second and third opportunities. Offensively, we made way too many turnovers … some forced, some unforced.”
    For SACS, Jasmine Rockwell threw in four 3-pointers, scoring 16 points, while Shelby Hartin put in 12 points.
    In the junior varsity game, SACS won, 35-19.