Warriors shake determined Hawks

By Gloria Austin 
Staff Writer
    In boy’s basketball action on Monday, the Southern Aroostook Warriors picked up a hard fought, 65-55 win over visiting Hodgdon.
    The game was close throughout the first half, with the Warriors holding a 32-27 halftime advantage. But, the Warriors stepped up their defensive pressure in the second half, leading to costly Hodgdon turnovers and a 53-41 SACS lead in the third.
    The Hawks didn’t succumb to the pressure, they were able to battle back to within eight points in the final period, but couldn’t recover.
SHOOTS – Hodgdon’s Chris Williams shoots over Steve Grant and Dakota Sleeper of the Southernn Aroostook Warriors. The Warriors defeated Hodgdon in both teams’ opener 65-55.
    “We had too many turnovers and that was the key to the game,” said Hodgdon coach Jerry Adams. “But, we cut it down when we went to full-court pressure. I was extremely proud of the way the boys responded to the pressure. After I called a timeout, the boys settled down and got back into the swing of the game.”
    Being new to the Hodgdon program, coach Adams and his players are getting to know each other.
    “I’m learning things with these kids, as well,” said Adams. “We went man-to-man full-court pressure because we had to, we were down by 10. I liked what I saw. The boys played with a lot more intensity. When they play man-to-man zone, they seem to sit back on their heels. So, we might start playing a little full-court pressure basketball.”
    But, Adams is limited in his number of players.
    “That’s the tough part,” Adams said. “We have about six players. We are not very deep on our bench, yet.”
    Adams said his squad needs to take care of the basketball.
    “When we get the ball up the court and inside, we are tough,” said Adams.
    Cody Robinson led the Warriors with 18 points, including three 3-pointers and Dakota Sleeper, despite man-to-man pressure all night by Hodgdon’s Chris Williams, finished with 17 points and 11 assists.
    For Hodgdon, Williams tossed in 18 pionts, while Dan McGillicuddy netted 12 and Travis Quint added 11 more.