Shires suffer two losses

By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    Defense wins basketball games.
    Houlton coach Rob Moran will be working toward that goal with his players, who dropped two games last week.
    The Shiretowners travelled to Fort Kent and couldn’t stop the Warriors’ penetration inside, which was a major contributor to the 57-55 loss.
    “We didn’t play well early,” Moran said. “We dug a hole early.”
    The Shiretowners fell behind, 24-17, to start the game.
    “We were scoring with them, but we gave up too many points,” Moran explained. “We pressed and it wasn’t effective. We probably pressed too long.”
    But, the Shires battled back, but couldn’t get the lead.
Pioneer Times photograph/Joseph Cyr
BATTLES — Houlton’s Dan Swallow battles for a rebuond against Presque Isle’s Matt Eager during last Wednesday’s game in Houlton. The Wildcats defeated Houlton, 56-46.
    “We showed good signs fighting back,” said Moran. “Fort Kent has decent guards and a legitimate 6-8 to 6-9 player, who is solid.”
    Moran pointed out that it was getting to the paint which cost the Shires.
    “What hurt us was the dribble penetration,” he said. “It really bothered us.”
    Overall, Moran is hoping to see more contribution from more players and a tighter interior defense.
    “Our shots don’t seem to be falling for us right now, but that is going to change,” he said. “We need to play better defense, no doubt about it. With the post up, we did fine. But, the key to winning in basketball is defending the paint and we didn’t defend it very well.”
    Fort Kent improved to 3-0, while the Shires fell to 1-2.
    Curtis Bouchard scored 20 points, while Charlie Nadeau added 19 for the Warriors.
    For Houlton, freshman Kyle Bouchard tallied a game-high 26 points, while Elyjah Crockett pumped in 10 more points.
    Houlton players and fans had high expectations heading into last Wednesday night’s game against Presque Isle.
    But, the Shires were unable to limit their turnovers and unable to drop in their foul shots, both of which were critical to the game’s outcome. The Shiretowners were 5/21 from the line.
    The Wildcats, 2-0, took a 56-46 win, as the Shires evened their record to 1-1.
    “If there is such a thing as a good loss, I felt decent about the game,” said Moran. “I thought we defended pretty well. But, we missed a lot of foul shots. We lost the game by 10 points, but we missed 16 foul shots and we turned the ball over a lot.”
    Bouchard led the Shires with 18 points, while Nick Guiod pumped in eight. Isaiha Straubel chipped in with four points.
    For Presque Isle, Andrew Kofstad  netted 13 points, while Tyler Brooks and Wilder York each scored 10 points.
    After a brief 3-3 tie, the Wildcats forged ahead to finish the quarter ahead, 12-3, while Houlton searched for their rhythm, turning the ball over five times. The Wildcats continued to take care of the boards and pushed their lead to 19-7 when Kofstad stuck a 3-pointer, with just under six minutes to halftime.
Pioneer Times photograph/Joseph Cyr
BATTLES — Houlton’s Elyjah Crockett hauls down a rebound during last Wednesday’s game in Houlton. The Wildcats defeated Houlton, 56-46.
    The momentum seemingly favored Presque Isle, despite even second quarter scoring, 13-all. But, Dan Swallow (four second-quarter points) made a statement when he carried the ball strong to the rim for an old-fashioned three-point play and Doug Dickison hit from the perimeter to keep Houlton close at halftime, 25-16.
    The Shires’ Bouchard carried the scoring load in the third, twisting and spinning his way to nine points. Bouchard was effective in driving to the hoop and on one particular play, with his resolve sure, he drew three Presque Isle defenders, but muscled through to score.
    With Presque Isle leading, 43-27, to open the final period, the Shires were determined, as they outscored the Wildcats 19-13, but it was too late.
    “On the positive side, I saw good things from a lot of different people that game,” Moran said.
    The Shiretowners will travel to Hodgdon on Thursday for a cross-town matchup and on Tuesday, Dec. 27, they will travel to Millinocket to face Stearns.