Wiley scores 1,000th

Pioneer Times photograph/Joseph Cyr
MILESTONE — Micah Wiley displays the game ball and plaque presented to him upon reaching his 1,000th high school point last Saturday in Hogdon. With Wiley are his parents, Larry and Loreen Wiley.
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    Monday at the University of Maine-Presque Isle, the Class C Madawaska Owls overtook GHCA, 81-64 in the boys’ game and 55-48 in the girls’ contest.
    The Owls took a 22-13 opening lead and built a 39-24 halftime advantage. After three, the Owls remained on top, 60-45.
    Matt Deschenes used six 3-pointers on his way to 40 points for Madawaska.
    For the Eagles, Micah Wiley had 15 points, Adam Little and Ethan Holmes each added 14 and Deyrell Vargas had 13.
    The Lady Eagles fell behind 34-23 at halftime, while the Owls maintained their lead 49-38 over three.
    Nicole Cyr poured in 24 points for Madawaska and the Lady Eagles were led by Destinee Neureuther’s 20 points and Olivia Lord’s 12.
    On Saturday night, despite a losing effort, the Eagles had much to celebrate.
    Wiley had an inkling that he was closing in on a career milestone, but when his free throw fell through the net, he sighed a breath of relief.
    “It’s nice to get it off my back,” he said.
    Wiley became the fourth Greater Houlton Christian Academy Eagle to step into the 1,000-point club, following Emery Lincoln, Drew Farrar and Chad Duff.
    The GHCA Eagles hosted Katahdin in the nightcap of a doubleheader in Hodgdon last Saturday.
    After Wiley’s recognition, it was the Cougars who finished the game on a celebratory note, edging the Eagles, 61-58.
    GHCA took the opening lead, 12-10, behind Little’s four points, along with Vargas and Holmes three points. Katahdin’s big men, Jesse McNally and Braden Cunningham, scored six and four points, respectively.
    The teams each scored 17 second-quarter points, with GHCA taking a 29-27 halftime advantage. Wiley knew he was close to his 1,000-point feat, but he only had seven first-half points and he needed 23 to reach the plateau.
Wiley sinks a free throw shot that gave him his 1,000th point.
    “I knew I had the possibility of getting it, but I wasn’t really sure how many points I needed,” he said. “We treated the game just like any other game. There wasn’t a whole lot of pressure on me.”
    Wiley went to work in the third period, scoring 11 points and giving his team a 49-40 lead.
    With 6:15 left in the fourth quarter, Wiley was fouled and sank the first of two free throws to notch his 1,000th high school career point and push GHCA’s lead to 10 points, 53-43.
    The game was stopped as coach Sam Henderson and Barrett Potter, GHCA athletic director, recognized Wiley’s accomplishment with a few words. Wiley’s parents, Loreen and Larry Wiley, also congratulated their son, as he was presented with the game ball and a plaque.
    Though he was singled out, Wiley credits his teammates for his success.
    “Obviously, I couldn’t have done it without my teammates this whole time,” he said. “They put their trust in me to score baskets for them. It wasn’t just a personal accomplishment, but more of a team one. Everyone was happy, it wasn’t just me.”
    Though reaching this high school high point was always a goal of his, Wiley didn’t really think it would come true.
     “It’s kind of surreal that it did actually happen,” Wiley said of his achievement.
    With his team in the lead, Wiley could settle back into the game, which had a momentum change, as Katahdin outscored GHCA, 21-9, to finish the game. Wiley figured the Eagles had a combined six turnovers in the first three quarters, but in the fourth alone that number increased.
    “With about four minutes left, we had some bad turnovers in front of the basket,” Wiley said. “It proved to be costly for us.”
    With eight seconds left in the game, Katahdin’s Cunningham completed an old-fashioned three-point play to give the Cougars their margin of victory.
    “I can’t say enough good things about our guys and the way they battled back late in that game,” said Katahdin co-coach Cliff Urquhart. “We started slow and never really found our offensive rhythm.”
    GHCA disrupted that tempo with a good defensive effort.
    “They made it difficult for us to score,” Urquhart added. “I think the difference down the stretch was our experience in close games.”
    Seven of Katahdin’s last 11 games have been decided within 10 points.
    “We’ve been in those situations a lot this year,” said Urquhart.
    Cunningham led a balanced scoring attack, as he, Billy Livezey and McNally all posted 16 points apiece, while Colton Bivighouse added 13 for Katahdin.
    For GHCA, Wiley scored a game-high 25 points, with Vargas netting 11; Holmes and Little each chipped in with 10.
    With that game behind him, Wiley still has his eyes focused on a finish.
    “We want to win our play-off game and get to Bangor,” he said.
    In last Saturday night’s opener in Hodgdon, the Katahdin girls were able to shake GHCA for a 44-42 win.
    The Lady Cougars took a first-quarter 11-7 lead and clung to a 23-22 halftime advantage, as Lizzie Knowles scored eight of her team’s 12 quarter points. In a third-quarter rally, Katahdin stretched their lead to 35-28, as they outscored GHCA, 12-6. But, the GHCA girls came back in the fourth behind Colby Walker’s eight points, as Katahdin held on for the win.
    “We squeaked out a win after having serious foul trouble,” said Katahdin coach Heather Lyons. “Megan, Morgan and Delaney all fouled out.”
    Lyons noted that Walker’s height advantage was a definite problem for her smaller-sized players.
    “We are enjoying the win and hope to solve our foul troubles,” she added.
    Ashley Randall scored nine points, while Knowles and Morgan Livezey each finished with eight points. Megan Merry struggled with fouls and came away with seven points and finishing with six points apiece were Brianna Majkowski and Delaney Fitzpatrick.
    For GHCA,  Lord poured in 17 points, with Walker netting 12 more. Finishing with seven more for the Lady Eagles was D. Neureuther.
    The Washburn girls raced by GHCA, 82-28 last Tuesday.
    McKenzie Worcester poured in 30 points and handed out eight assists to lead Washburn past visiting Greater Houlton Christian Academy.
    For GHCA, Allison Little stepped up for nine points, with Neureuther adding seven more.
 In the boy’s game, coach Henderson was pleased with his team’s effort against host Washburn despite falling, 97-73.
    “Washburn is good,” said Henderson. “My guys played good. We scored the most points that Washburn has had scored on them this year.”
    Wiley led the way with 27 points, while Holmes knocked down 18 and Vargas added 10.
    Henderson noted if Washburn’s field goal percentage wasn’t so high, it may have been a closer contest.
    “The probably missed about two 3-pointers out of the 15 they hit,” he said. “When they run on a fast break, there is no stopping them.”
    Jordan McLaughlin scored a game-high 35 points, with 30 coming in the third quarter alone.
    “They released McLaughlin early and as soon as one of our shots went up, he was gone and they bounced it up the court for a layup,” Henderson explained. “It was hard to make the adjustment because we need our guys offensively tight.”
    Henderson is hoping to reach the playoffs.
    “We have four seniors and I really love them all,” he said. “I want them to have the opportunity to go to Bangor one more time.”
    GHCA’s next game is today in Hodgdon when the girls and boys host East Grand at 5:30 and 7 p.m. On Saturday, the teams are scheduled to travel to Van Buren and will be on the road to Easton next Tuesday, Jan. 31.