The fifth- and sixth-grade basketball leagues offered through the Presque Isle Recreation and Parks Department have had some great games to watch this season.
The Sparks and Liberty kicked off the season in early February. In this matchup, Alana Legassie led the way for the Sparks scoring 12 points followed by Libby Moreau adding six, Destiny Carson four and Grace Bemis netting a basket. On the other side of the court, Kamryn Gilmour tied the game-high with 12 points of her own. Casey Estabrook added four and Rebecca Rider chipped in with a foul shot. The Sparks won the season opener, 24-17.
In the second game of the season, the Sparks took on the Lynx. Both Moreau and LeGassie scored eight points for the Sparks, with Anna Robinson scoring four and Carson and Kacie Chapman both chipping in with a hoop. For the Lynx, Molly Kingsbury led the way with seven points, while center Alexandra Walsh threw in five and Paige McHatten and Julia Good added two each. The Sparks improved to 2-0 by winning 24-16.
In the season opener for the boys’ league, the Bulls and Celtics battled it out. Mark Graves paved the way for the Bulls with 12 points followed by Will Bridges with 11, Carter Rice with eight and Drew Cameron with four. The Celtics were led by Caleb Wheaton with 11 points. Also adding to the Celtics’ point total was Iffy Sargent with seven, Riley Roderick and Gavin Akeley both with four and Jacob Bonville with a layup. The Bulls won, 35-30.
Game two of the boys’ season saw the Thunder and Clippers face off. The Thunders’ Jacob Sjoberg scored a game-high 18 points with teammate Jacob Martin adding 14 and Gavin Hemphill netting a hoop. The Clippers were led by center Jason Dumais, who scored 16. Andrew Hewitt notched 11, Sam Beaulieu six and Kyler Caron two. The game came down to the last shot with the Thunder holding on, 36-35.
In girls’ action, the Lynx hosted Liberty. The Lynx were led by Walsh’s 12 points. Kingsbury added 10 and Elizabeth Collins tallied two baskets. The Liberty’s Gilmour had eight points with Rider, Taylor Guerrette, Taylor Hedrich and Anna Trombley all scoring a basket. The Lynx prevailed, 26-16.
In the boys’ league, the Heat and Celtics matched up. Jonah Hudson marked a league-high 29 points. Teammates Cole Paterson and Ricky Goupille scored four points each with Zack Fletcher and Connor Albertson both chipping in with basket apiece. For the Celtics, Bonville scored 10 with Sargent and Roderick both adding four points along with Brian Ellis adding an additional hoop. The Heat rolled, 41-20.
Next on the court, the Clippers and Bulls went head-to-head. The Clippers were led by Hewitt, who scored 13. Dumais added 12, Caron and Beaulieu four each and Garrett Caron, Patrick Lessard and Shane Baker all had two. For the Bulls, Bridges, Rice and Graves all had eight points with Colby Buckley chipping in a basket. The Clippers pulled out their first victory, 37-26.
The next day, the Bulls were back to work playing the Heat. Bridges had a game-high 24 points followed by Rice with 11. Drew Cameron, Buckley and Josiah Washington all added a basket. On the other bench, Paterson had a team-high 14 points with Nathan Willet adding eight points and Goupille a hoop of his own. The Bulls get back on track by winning, 41-24.
The Thunder and Celtics went at it and the Thunder was led by Erick Tompkins, who had 10 of his 17 in the fourth quarter. Martin contributed 10, Sjoberg had eight and Austin Pictou and Gavin Hemphill both tallied two. The Celtics were led by Wheaton’s 10 points, while Sargent totaled eight, Bonville five and Akeley two. The Thunder came out on top with an 18-point fourth quarter and a 39-25 triumph.
In the night cap, the girls’ hit the hardwood. The Liberty was out to get its first win against the undefeated Sparks. Liberty’s Trombley and Rider both had eight points to lead the way followed by Gilmour with seven and Guerrette and Hedrich both with hoops. On the other side of the ball, Chapman led the way with six points followed by Legassie and Robinson both scoring four and Bemis three. The Liberty won, 27-17.
The next day, it was back to boys’ hoops with the Bulls and Thunder matching up. The Bulls’ PG William Bridges notched a game-high 20 points and scoring 11 of those in the fourth quarter. Teammate Rice scored 10 of his own with Graves tossing in four and Washington, Cameron and Buckley all adding two each. As for the Thunder, Tompkins had a team-high 14 with Sjoberg netting nine and Hemphill adding a jumper. The Bulls improve to 3-1 with the win.
The second game of the triple header featured the Lynx and Sparks from the girls’ league. Lynx’s Kingsbury had a season-high 25 points, with Walsh adding eight and Kassie Rouse scoring a basket. The Sparks’ Chapman scored a team-high 12 points with Legassie chipping in with eight and Carson and Robinson both adding two. The Lynx got the win, 35-24.
The last game of the night showed to be an offensive frenzy from both teams. First, the Heat’s Hudson scored 24 followed by 16 points by Paterson. Both Goupille and Willet scored four points and Garrett Morneault added a hoop. The Clippers’ attack was led by Dumais, who had 20. Hewitt had 10, Caron four and Sam Beaulieu and Shane Baker both chipped in layups. The Heat earned the win, 50-38.
On Valentines Day the Heat and Thunder kicked off play. Sjoberg led the way for the Thunder by scoring 19 points followed by Tompkins with 18 and Pictou with a fourth-quarter bucket. The Heat fought hard, bringing the game to a last possession with Hudson scoring 16, Paterson 12, Goupille and Willette with four apiece and Morneault a basket. The Thunder squeaked out a victory, 39-38.
In the middle game, the Clippers and Celtics squared off. The Clippers were led by Dumais, who scored all of his 18 points in the first half. Beaulieu tossed in 10, Hewitt six, Baker four and Caron three. The Celtics were led by Wheaton’s 11 points with Roderick, Bonville, Josh Rooney, Akeley and Sargent all chipping in with a basket. However, the Clippers prevailed, 40-21.
The final game of the day saw the Lynx and Liberty play. The Lynx was led by Kingsbury with 15. Julia Good had eight, Walsh and McHatten both had four and Allie Lovely scored her first basket. The Liberty was led by Rider’s nine points, while Gilmour had four, Guerrette three and Trombley two. The Lynx came out on top, 33-16.
In the last game before February vacation, the Liberty and Sparks faced off. Rider had a game-high 18 points followed by Guerrette and Gilmour with seven each and Hedrich and Trombley two each. The Sparks’ offensive attack was led by Legassie’s 10 points. Bemis netted five, Carson four and Michaela Pelletier and Chapman a hoop each. The Liberty earn its second win of the season, 36-23.
