Student Intern
The Lady Shires are off to a great start so far this season. After 10 games they are nearly perfect at 9-1, with their only loss coming to the 7-0 Lee Pandas.
DEFENSE – Houlton’s Martha McPartland bellies up to stop a Caribou player during last Wednesday’s game. The Lady Shires, who are 9-1, won the game, 45-26.
Houlton had a big win against Caribou a week ago today, 45-26. Caribou came out ready to play and got a few quick baskets in the first few minutes. Houlton responded by falling into a zone defense. After going into the zone, Houlton only allowed two points in the first quarter, giving them a 15-6 lead. Once the Shires got command of the game they never looked back, outscoring the lady Vikings in all but one quarter.
“They are a tough matchup for us to play man against due to their versatility of
their five starters,” explained Houlton coach Shawn Graham.
Leading Houlton with 14 points was sophomore Vanessa Sanderson. Rachel Foster and Desiree Dow both finished with eight points each, with Foster also grabbing 14 rebounds.
Houlton then followed up with a weekend game against cross-town rival, Hodgdon. Foster led Houlton with 19 points and 10 rebounds, with Emily Bartlett also chipping in for 13 points. Houlton also had four other players with six to eight points apiece.
The Shires jumped out to a big 23-4 lead in the first quarter, and controlled the rest of the game, winning by a final score of 64-29.
“It was nice to see the balance in our scoring in this game.” said Graham.
Houlton now faces Class B teams Caribou and Presque Isle back-to-back this week, as well as a tough away game in Calais on Friday night. The Shires end their season with the toughest part of their schedule, facing Lee, Fort Kent, and Stearns all within a seven-day period. These three teams currently have a combined record of 21-4, and are all Class C teams fighting for the top spot.
“It is just a matter of staying motivated and coming to play every night,” explained Graham.
Houlton, who moved into the top three in the state over the last week, has continued to improve throughout the season on all aspects. Offensively they are shooting increasingly better from the perimeter, as well as cutting down on turnovers, which plagued them during their loss to Lee. Defensively they have played solid all year, allowing an average of less than 35 points per game.
“We haven’t even played to our fullest potential yet,” explained Houlton senior captain Foster confidently.
