Warriors needed big win; Eagles survive

Pioneer Times photograph/Gloria Austin
SURROUNDED — Southern Aroostook’s Justin Nelson holds his ground, as the Eagles flock in last Wednesday’s game in Dyer Brook. Eagle defenders are, from left, Ethan Holmes, Micah Wiley, Russell Socoby and Adam Little in the background.
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    The Southern Aroostook Warriors needed a win last Wednesday night, but the GHCA Eagles held them off to take a 56-50 victory in Dyer Brook.
    “We came out flat,” said GHCA coach Sam Henderson, whose team has been in four close games this season.
    The Warriors opened the game with a 12-8 advantage behind Pat Goodall’s five points. Southern Aroostook doubled GHCA’s scoring to start the second quarter. But, it didn’t take long and the Eagles were keeping up with their hosts, as they trailed 24-22 with 1:42 left in the half. By the time the buzzer rang, GHCA had built a one-point halftime advantage, 27-26 behind Russell Socoby’s five-point spark.
    “It was good to have Russell come off the bench and be a scoring threat,” said Henderson. “Southern Aroostook played with a lot of energy. We made a good run at the end of the second to catch up.”
    Micah Wiley added six points and Deyrell Vargas another five in the second quarter.
    “We had a couple of leads and did not finish the second and third quarter well,” said SACS coach Vaughn Sleeper. “We rebounded and played good defense, but we were not shooting the ball well.”
    The second-half action saw the teams dead even with 13 points apiece for a 40-all tie.
    “It just started clicking and we picked up the defensive intensity and started rebounding the ball,” said Henderson of his squad. “Once we started rebounding, we were able to get out and run a little bit.”
Pioneer Times photograph/Gloria Austin
AIRBORNE — Southern Aroostook’s Joe Frazier goes airborne for a fastbreak layup in last Wednesday’s game against GHCA.
    The Eagles pulled off an offensive set that may have proven to be among one of the differences in the final score, along with their free-throw shooting. The Eagle guards would penetrate and as the defensive man rotated to stop the drive, they would drop the ball into the post.
    “It is something we have been working on,” added Henderson. “It was pretty effective.”
    Vargas went 5-for-6 from the line in the final quarter, while Wiley was 5-for-10, as they outscored SACS 16-10 in the last eight minutes of the game.
    On the Southern Aroostook side, Sleeper noticed a lack of consistency.
    “We committed some untimely turnovers, along with below-par shooting,” he said.
    Wiley finished with 18 points, while Vargas scored 14 more. Ethan Holmes netted nine and Adam Little posted eight, while Socoby contributed seven points in the win.
    For SACS, Goodall pumped in 22 points and hauled down 11 boards, while Jesse Boulier and Vance Gustin each added six points.
    The Eagles will play Katahdin on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Hodgdon. The Cougars in the most recent Heal Point standings are third with a 6-3 record, while GHCA is ninth with a 4-3 record.
    “We are dragging tail around a little bit right now,” said Henderson, whose team is battling a few injuries. “Katahdin is a big game for us. If we don’t win that game, it could become a problem.”
    Henderson has faith in his men.
    “Last year, we would have folded up mentally, if we had been behind by 10,” he said. “The game would have been over and the [opponent] would have extended their lead. But, this year, we have a bit more tenacity.”
    Last Monday at the University of Maine-Presque Isle, the Eagles fell to Washburn, 80-53.
    Jordan McLaughlin scored the first 10 points of the game as he broke into the 1,000-point club, finishing the game with 24 points. Mitchell Worcester poured in 32 points, grabbed seven rebounds, handed out 10 assists and had eight steals for the winners.
    For GHCA, Little racked up 16 points and hauled down 11 rebounds, while Wiley pitched in with 13 points.