Cougars tamed by Royals

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    BANGOR — The postseason run of the Katahdin boys basketball team came to an end Thursday as the No. 4 Cougars (15-6 overall) succumbed to top-ranked Jonesport-Beals, 76-49, in the semifinals. The Royals improved to 18-2 on the season and advanced to the regional Class D championship against No. 6 Deer Isle-Stonington.
    Facing a much larger squad, Katahdin knew it had to play a nearly perfect game to pull off the improbable upset. That scenario did not play out as coaches Dale Fiske and Cliff Urquhart hoped as Jonesport Beals dominated the offensive and defensive glass, limiting Katahdin to just one shot opportunity on numerous trips down the court.
Houlton Pioneer Times photograph/ Joseph Cyr
HANDOFF – Katahdin’s Bill Livezey finds the lane blocked, but had the presence of mind to hand the ball off to the weak side during  the Class D semifinals against JP-B.
    “We couldn’t do much today,” Urquhart said. “Every time they (Jonesport Beals) got a defensive rebound it seemed to lead to a transition bucket. There was nothing we could do to stop them tonight.”
    Colton Bivinghouse led Katahdin with 16 points, while Bill Livezey added nine and Jesse McNally eight. For the Royals, Matthew Alley paced all players with 25 points, while Garet Beal added 20 and Justin Alley chipped in 15.
    After an opening 3-pointer from Justin Alley to start the game, the Cougars took a short-lived 5-3 lead as Bivinghouse connected for trey of his own, followed by a nifty backdoor shot by McNally. Leon Smith scored back-to-back buckets for the Royals to make it a 7-5 game in favor of Jonesport-Beals. But then Livezey had a quick layup and drew a foul. He connected on the ensuing free throw for the traditional 3-point play giving the Cougars an 8-7 edge with 4:54 to play in the quarter. That would be the last time Katahdin led in the contest as the Royals went on a 10-2 scoring run to end the first quarter on top 17-10.
    The Cougars tried to get back on track in the second period, but the shots from the perimeter were off the mark for much of the night.
    “When shots aren’t falling and you only get one opportunity, that’s not our game,” Urquhart said. “We knew we had to keep it in the 40s or 50s to have a chance, and we just couldn’t do that tonight.”