Staff Writer
On March 17, nominated basketball players from Aroostook County convened in Caribou to face off against each other in the 2009 Aroostook County All-Star Basketball Classic. The players were selected by the Aroostook County media based on their performances during the season. The girls, who played at 5:30 p.m., were divided into the white and pink teams.
Members of the All-Aroostook boys black team were, from left, front row: Chandler Brewer, Eric Brown, Jeremy Tarr, Tyler Robinson and Brad Trask. Back row: coach Bill McAvoy, Porter Gervais, Brandon Hopkins, Sam Robertson, Philip St. Peter, James Bates and Matt Harvey.
Coaching Team White was Limestone/MSSM Athletic Director Larry Worcester. On his team were Sarah Porter, Caitlin Esancy and Hannah Cheney, all of Presque Isle; Jaime Pelletier and Emily Pelletier, Fort Kent; Brittany Charette, Southern Aroostook; Kasi Parker and Kari Brewer, Greater Houlton Christian Academy; Rachel Palmer, Washburn; and Kellie Peers, LCS/MSSM. Kayla Legassie of Presque Isle was selected, but could not play due to an ACL injury and alternate Kristen Espling of Caribou took her place.
Jim Carter coached Team Pink, who was comprised of Katie Ouellette and Amanda Cyr, Caribou; Taylor Hovey, Hodgdon; Desiree Dow and Lainey Herring, Houlton; Kelsey Doust, East Grand; Whitney Clark and Kaitlyn McLaughlin, Fort Fairfield; Kallie Pelletier, Madawaska and JaLisa Moore, Katahdin.
Both the boys and girls games were divided into two 20-minute halves and players were rotated in every 10 minutes, five at a time. As the girls took the court, both teams seemed evenly matched but as the second half began, Team White pulled away. Neither team played too aggressively, though Kristen Espling of Team White sent her regular season Viking teammate Amanda Cyr of Team Pink to the foul line. At game’s end, Team White won 80-51.
The boys took the floor at 7 p.m. and were divided into the white and black teams.
Coaching Team White was Matt Rossignol. On his team were Evan Richards and Russ Mortland, Presque Isle; Andrew Dufour, Andrew Forsman and Matt Cresenzo, all of Fort Fairfield; Manny Martinez, Central Aroostook High School; Evan McCarthy, Katahdin; Nick McIntosh, Washburn; and Brandon Bosse and Adam Derosiers, Madawaska.
Bill McAvoy coached Team Black, who was comprised of Sam Robertson and Eric Brown, Caribou; James Bates and Porter Gervais, Houlton; Jeremy Tarr, Ashland; Brad Trask, Easton; Matt Harvey, Fort Kent; Brandon Hopkins, Limestone; and Tyler Robinson, Southern Aroostook. Kaleb Dicker of East Grand was unable to play and was replaced by alternate Philip St. Peter of Caribou.
There were less smiles and more fouls during the boys game, although both teams had a few laughs throughout the night. But concentration and drive motivated both the white and black team to play a good game, and the score remained tight heading into the second half. With two minutes left in playing time, Team Black led 84-81 but a 3-pointer from Bosse tied the game. Neither team would score again until the game moved into a two-minute overtime. Fouled by Team Black’s Bates, Martinez stepped up to the free throw line and netted both shots, pulling Team White ahead by two. With 20 seconds remaining, Bates put in a basket of his own and evened the score. But another last second 3-point goal from Bosse sealed the deal for Team White, who walked away with an 89-86 win.
Suitting up for the All-Aroostook girls pink team were, from left, front row: Whitney Clark, Amanda Cyr, Kelsey Doust and JaLisa Moore. Back row: Katie Ouellette, Taylor Hovey, Kaitlyn McLaughlin, Kallie Pelletier and coach Jim Carter. Absent from photo were Desiree Dow and Lainey Herring.
