Southern Aroostook pulls away from Hodgdon as Burpee tallies 1,000th point

Joseph Cyr, Special to The County
11 months ago
Dylan Burpee, right, has his eyes on the basket as he is closely guarded by Hodgdon’s David Tuttle during a Dec. 19 game in Dyer Brook. Burpee scored the 1,000th point of his career as he carried SA to a 54-47 victory. (Courtesy of Joseph Cyr)

DYER BROOK, Maine – On what turned out to be an historic night for Southern Aroostook senior Dylan Burpee, the two-time defending Class D champion Warriors got back on the winning track Tuesday, Dec. 19, in a hard-fought game against Hodgdon.

Sparked by a 21-point effort from Burpee, which included the 1,000th-point of his high school career, Southern Aroostook picked up an exciting 54-47 victory over Hodgdon at a packed gymnasium at SACS.

Burpee needed 16 points coming into the contest, and reached the milestone just seconds into  the third quarter, with a basket that has been a staple of his repertoire – a 3-pointer from the corner.

Making a move to the basket is Southern Aroostook’s Kason Lawlor, right, while guarded by Hodgdon’s Brody Little during a Dec. 19 game. SA won 54-47.
(Courtesy of Joseph Cyr)

For SA, Ethan Collier chipped in 15 points, while Trafton Russell added nine; Lincoln Hardy had seven; and Kason Lawlor added two.

Cyran Ciarleglio led the way for Hodgdon with 16 points, while David Tuttle added 10; Logan Sherman and Wyatt Oliver both had five; Oisin Gardiner and Daniel Henderson each had four; and Brody Little chipped in three.

Wins have been a bit more difficult to come by for the Warriors this season, after the team cruised to an undefeated state championship last year. Prior to Tuesday night’s game, the Warriors were riding a two-game losing streak for the first time in several years.

“We will take every win we can get,” SA coach Brett Russell said. “It has been a real grind for us this year. I hope this win can be a building block for even better things to come this season.”

Southern Aroostook’s Ethan Collier, left, tries to dribble around Hodgdon’s Daniel Henderson during a Dec. 19 game in Dyer Brook. SA won 54-47. (Courtesy of Joseph Cyr)

Both squads were sluggish to start the contest, with neither team able to score in the first three minutes of action. It was Hodgdon who finally broke through as Brody Little sank a foul shot for the game’s first score.

The Warriors then heated up offensively, closing out the first quarter with an 11-5 advantage over the Hawks.

In the second quarter, Hodgdon managed to reclaim the lead 21-20 with 1:59 to play as Ciarleglio scored seven straight points for the Hawks. But as was the case for most of the night, the Warriors were quick to counter and were soon back on top 28-21 by the end of the first half.

Hodgdon made a couple of runs in the second half, but were never able to regain the lead.

Hodgdon’s Brody Little lunges for the rebound during a Dec. 19 game against Southern Aroostook. Hodgdon fell 54-47.
(Courtesy of Joseph Cyr)

The Warriors converted 12-of-17 free throws (71 percent), while Hodgdon made eight-of-13 foul shots (62 percent).

Hodgdon coach Sam Henderson said he was proud of his team’s effort to make a late surge, cutting the Warriors’ lead to eight (43-35) with six minutes to play, but also noted the exceptional play of Burpee as a contributing factor in SA’s victory.

“Dylan is just a tremendous basketball player,” Henderson said. “He is poised under pressure, whereas we have a lot of youth. I am really proud our guys fought to the end. It is just part of growing in basketball.”