Shires overtake Wildcats; still perfect

12 years ago

Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
sp-Houlton boys-dc2-pt-4ON THE LOOKOUT — Houlton’s Isaiah Straubel looks for an open teammate from atop the key as Presque Isle’s Corey Willette defends.

    It was a huge win for Houlton Monday night when the Shires held off visiting Presque Isle, 50-39.
    “Hopefully, it will solidify us in the No. 1 spot for while,” said Houlton coach Rob Moran, whose Shires are 14-0.

    The Shires took a 7-0 lead when Isaiah Straubel buried a 3-pointer with 3:25 left in the first quarter. Presque Isle’s first points of the game were scored with 2:40 left in the opening period when Jonah Stephenson drained a 3-pointer and scored a basket on a one-handed runner.
    In the second quarter, Presque Isle’s Stephenson hit another 3-pointer to bring his team to within three points, 16-13, before Houlton’s Nick Guiod closed out the half with a score.
    “I thought that point in the game we got in an up-and-down game with them,” said Moran. “We like to get out and run, but at a controlled pace. In the second, we played their game and they made a run at us.”
    In the second half, the action continued to heat up, with the Wildcats taking their first lead of the game at the 4:52 mark when Cody Lyford netted a 3-pointer for a 22-21 advantage.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
sp-Houlton boys-dc1-pt-4TIGHT D — Dan Swallow, left, of Houlton plays tight defense on Presque Isle’s big man Bradley Shields during Monday night’s game. Houlton won 50-39.

    But, the lead was short-lived as Guiod drove and was fouled to give Houlton back a 24-22 lead. With not more than seven points separating the teams, Kyle Bouchard found Kole Buzzeo on an open slant to the hoop for a 27-22 Houlton lead with 2:22 left in the third.
    “Our defense was locked in most of the night,” said Moran. “The key for us was our man-to-man defense and we also did a good job at handling the press.
    “Dan Swallow did a really good job on Brad Shields, giving up about six inches in height,” said Moran. “Shields didn’t have many open looks.”
    With the post game limited, Presque Isle’s Lyford canned another 3-pointer to draw the Wildcats to within two, 27-25.         Houlton’s Bouchard finished an old-fashioned three-point play and Straubel dropped in his second 3-pointer to push the Shires to a 34-27 lead.
    “Isaiah hit some big shots and played solid defense,” said Moran.
    After Guiod hit two free throws with 6:10 left in the game, Houlton extended its lead to 38-29, its biggest of the game.
    But, the Wildcats’ Stephenson struck again sinking a 3-pointer and Tyler Brooks sneaked in behind the defense for an open layup, as Presque Isle cut the lead to four points, 38-34, with about five minutes to play.
    Stephenson and Brooks kept Presque Isle close, as Stephenson hit a 3-pointer from the top and Brooks backed his way into the paint for a basket, 44-39, with just under two minutes to go.
    That would be as close as Presque Isle would get, as the Shires made 6-of-8 free throws to seal the game.
    “Our guys made foul shots at the end to close out the game,” Moran added.
    The Shires shot 18 of 24 overall in the game and 12 of 14 in the final eight minutes.
    “I’m proud of the guys,” said Moran. “Presque Isle has two losses and they are both to us. That is a decent accomplishment.”
    Guiod and Bouchard paced Houlton offensively with 14 points apiece, with Swallow, Buzzeo and Straubel all tossing in six points and Elyjah Crockett added four.
    For Presque Isle, Stephenson had the hot hand with 16 points, while Bradley Shields netted eight points. Lyford and Brooks each tallied six points and Ben Nickerson had three.
    In an exciting junior varsity game, Houlton won 54-47.
    In other Monday night action, Madawaska overtook visiting GHCA, 72-66.
    Deyrell Vargas pumped in 32 points, while Caleb Lincoln tossed in 14 and Russell Socoby 11 more for the Eagles.
    East Grand 22, Easton 64 — The Bears grabbed a 25-6 first-quarter lead and rolled to victory.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
SP-houlton boys-dc4-pt-4TO THE HOOP — Houlton’s Nick Guiod, middle, tries to make a path to the basket while Presque Isle’s Bradley Shields blocks his way.

    Logan Crone led the winless Vikings with eight points.
    Easton led 42-16 at halftime and 51-20 after three en route to victory.
    Saturday, Jan. 19
    Houlton 89, Schenck 30 — Buzzeo led a well-balanced offensive attack by Houlton on the visiting Wolverines with 21 points, while Bouchard tossed in 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Crockett netted 14 points and hauled down 15 rebounds and Guiod finished with 10 points and 10 assists.
    Other Houlton scorers were Isaac Cone and Jacob Condon with six points apiece; Christian Crane dropped in four, while Swallow and Straubel each had a basket.
    Houlton led at the breaks: 22-8; 40-19; and 71-25.
    Friday, Jan. 18
    Southern Aroostook 40, Central Aroostook 60 — The Warriors stayed within striking range, but the Panthers used a 20-10 run in the final eight minutes to seal the game.
    Steven Decker posted a game-high 26 points for the Panthers, while Joe Stiles added 10 more points.
    For Southern Aroostook, Jesse Boulier racked up 24 points, along with Cameron Landry’s 10 points. Mason Caron, Will McGary and Kaleb Burpee rounded out the scoring.
    Central Aroostook led at the breaks: 13-10; 28-18; and 40-30.
Thursday, Jan. 17
    Houlton 60, Stearns 37 — It wasn’t an easy first half in Millinocket for the Shiretowners who led 23-16 to start the game and only 31-30 at halftime. In the third period, the Shires made a 15-4 run to spread the score.
    Bouchard poured in a game-high 27 points, while Guiod knocked down 14 more.
    Hodgdon 70, Van Buren 31 — Leading 13-6 after one, the Hawks broke the game wide open over the second and third periods, outscoring Van Buren 42-14 en route to the win.
   Hodgdon’s Josh Hudson led his team with 20 points, while Tyler Sherman collected 19, including five 3-pointers, and Chris Hudson pumped in 18 more.
    Katahdin 57, Schenck 60 — Turnovers were costly for Katahdin against Schenck, as they committed 15 in the second half, losing by three points.
    The Wolverines led 17-13 to start the game, but Katahdin took the halftime advantage, 26-19. After the third, Schenck retook the lead, 42-37 to hold on for the win.
    Colton Bivighouse led all scorers with 25 points and had eight blocks for Katahdin. Wyatt Morse netted 13 points, while T.J. Young had seven points, Gavin Russell, eight and Everett Bivighouse, four.
Tuesday, Jan. 15
    Southern Aroostook 70, Limestone/MSSM 46 — The Warriors took an early lead and held a 39-21 halftime advantage en route to the win.
    Landry and Boulier each scored 18 points for the Warriors,  while Cody Lassonde netted 12 more. Caron and Burpee each had six points, while McGary added five; Trent Cullinan, three and Alex White a hoop.