Shiretowners’ coach pleased with play

    After a huge win over Presque Isle last Thursday, the Houlton Shiretowners were deflated against host Lee on Saturday, 63-54.
    The Shiretowners stayed with Lee through the first half, trailing 33-28 at intermission, as Jordan Bragan hit a jumper and James Bates had a driving layup, however, Lee answered back and extended their lead to 49-40 en route to the win.
    “Lee started out in man–to-man defense and our offense was providing good shots with good results,” said Houlton coach Mike Fogarty. “They then switched to a 1-2-2 zone, which we struggled with at times.”
    The Shires were also up against a height disadvantage, as Lee’s big man in the middle stood 6-7.
    “He is a very talented kid,” Fogarty said. “He gave us fits in the middle.”
    Bates finished with 18 points and six rebounds, while Porter Gervais netted 17 points and brought down 11 boards for the Shires. Bates scored 10 points in the first period when Lee was in its man-to-man, but had limited touches when they went into zone.
    Last Thursday wasn’t a high scoring affair, but the Shires knuckled down and worked on their defense to finish with a very point-worthy win over visiting Presque Isle.
    “We had a great team effort against the Wildcats,” said Fogarty. “We worked hard on our 2-3 zone, making sure we kept an eye on Russ Mortland. If he gets going early then we were going to have to make some adjustments.”
    The Shires held the Wildcats to 13 first-half points leading to a 39-38 win. After leading 24-13, the Wildcats cut the lead in the third, 30-25, but couldn’t overcome Houlton down the stretch.
    “Offensively, we made good decisions,” said Fogarty. “We were able to hold on for the win.”
    Bates tossed in 14 points and brought down 11 rebounds, while Gervais had eight points and 10 rebounds.
    “James and Porter did a great job on the boards,” Fogarty said. “We historically rebound much better out of our zone, which was the difference in the game. We limited them to one shot most of the time.”
    Fogarty is pleased with his players’ effort.
    “The boys are getting some valuable experience,” he said. “I truly feel that will help us down the road.”
    The Shires have been in every game they have played so far, and they potentially have the talent to make it into postseason.
    “The boys are working hard night-in and night-out,” Fogarty said. “We will continue to work on our on-court decisions. This just comes with playing and with four games under our belt, we are starting to show some marked improvement.”
    The Shires will be on the road Friday to Madawaska in their second matchup of the season and they will travel to Fort Kent before Christmas break.
    “It is great to get both of those long trips out of the way, but both games with be difficult on the road,” Fogarty added.