Hodgdon edges Katahdin in thriller

By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    Boys basketball teams are busy jockeying for playoff position as the season winds to a close. The following is a recap of games played through Monday, Jan. 11.
    Hodgdon 58, Katahdin 57 — It came down to the wire Monday in Hodgdon, as the Hawks squeaked out a one-point win behind Chris Williams’ 14 points in the fourth quarter.
    After leading 9-8, the Hawks held a 24-16 halftime advantage. After the third, the Hawks held a 33-28 margin before the Cougars mounted their comeback threat.
    Williams finished the game with 26 points, while Josh Hudson, Dan McGillicuddy and Andrew McGillicuddy all scored 10 points for Hodgdon.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Gloria Austin
FOCUSED — East Grand’s Seth Cropley eyes the rim as he goes up for a shot while Jesse Boulier of Souther Aroostook defends on the play.
    Brandon Robinson paced the Cougars with 24 points, while Brady Curtis scored 16 points.
    Southern Aroostook 70, Ashland 58 — At Dyer Brook Monday, the host Warriors took a 23-14 first-quarter lead and extended it to 41-27 at intermission. But, the Hornets came back in the third, coming to within a basket, 60-58. In the final period, the Warriors held Ashland scoreless.
    Cody Robinson scored 27 points and Dakota Sleeper added 18 in the Warriors’ victory.
    GHCA 60, Southern Aroostook 58 — The GHCA Eagles were able to hang on for the win in the final minutes to overtake the host Warriors on Saturday.
    Chad Duff led the way for the Eagles with 24 points, while Micah Wiley tossed in 17 more. Zach Straubel added eight and Ryan Campbell chipped in with seven for the winners.
    For the Warriors, Dakota Sleeper scored 24 points and Pat Goodall netted 14. Cody Robinson dropped in eight more in the losing effort.
    The Eagles led at the end of each quarter: 15-12; 30-27 and 44-43. In the waning minutes, the Eagles had built a nine-point lead only to have the free throw line become a stumbling block for them.
    In the opening game, Southern Aroostook edged GHCA, 54-51.
    Katahdin 54, Bangor Christian 40 — At Bangor on Saturday, the Cougars pounced on the Patriots early, 16-7 and held a 27-18 halftime lead. After three periods, the Cougars held a 41-28 cushion.
    Brandon Robinson scored a game-high 32 points to lead Katahdin, with Colton Bivighouse and Kolby Gallagher adding 10 points apiece.
    Central Aroostook 70, Hodgdon 50 — In Saturday’s game, the Hawks trailed the visiting Panthers 14-8 after the opening quarter, but the Panthers extended their lead, outscoring the Hawks, 24-9 for a 38-17 advantage. After the third, the Panthers built a 50-27 scoring margin en route to the win.
    Dan Brewer keyed the Panthers’ offense with17 points, while Kasey Brewer scored 13 points and Caleb Kelly added 10.
    Hodgdon’s Chris Williams fired a game-high 28 points, including 14 free throws. Freshman Nick Lunn connected for nine and Dan McGillicuddy another eight.
    In the prelim game, the Hawks defeated CAHS, 56-41.
    Shead 53, East Grand 22 — The host Tigers jumped to a 15-4 first-quarter lead and it extended it to 24-10 at the half. After the third, Shead led 35-19 en route to the win.
    Seth Cropley led East Grand of Danforth with eight points.
    In the junior varsity game, Shead won, 42-28.
    GHCA 71, East Grand 42 — Last Thursday at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, the Eagles took a 35-20 halftime lead and held a 55-34 advantage after the third to defeat East Grand.
    The Eagles were led by Duff, who scored 21 points, while Wiley and Straubel added 10 points apiece.
    Andrew Gilman connected for 14 points to lead East Grand, with Seth Cropley chipping in with 12 points and Abe Brittain 10 points.
    Southern Aroostook 52, Hodgdon 51 — At Dyer Brook, Dakota Sleeper hit a 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining to give the Warriors the victory over the Hawks.
    Sleeper, a senior guard, scored a game-high 27 points, including his 1,000th career point. He had 999 points going into the game. Cody Robinson tossed in 10 points for Southern Aroostook, while Jesse Small grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked five shots.
    Hodgdon’s Williams tossed in 26 points, while Andrew McGillicuddy added eight and Josh Hudson chipped in with seven.
    The Warriors led through the first half, 30-21, but the Hawks deadlocked the game at the end of the third, 37-all. In the final period, the Warriors had trailed by three points, but the Hawks couldn’t overtake them.
    In the junior varsity contest, Southern Aroostook won, 57-49.
    Southern Aroostook 69, East Grand 48 — The Warriors raced to a 23-7 first-quarter lead and never looked back, as they overpowered East Grand in Dyer Brook last Tuesday.
    Cody Robinson tossed in 26 points to pace Southern Aroostook’s offense, while Dakota Sleeper netted 22 points and Jesse Small scored eight points and hauled down 14 rebounds.
    Seth Cropley scored a game-high 27 points for East Grand, while Abe Brittan added 11.
    In junior varsity (j.v.) action, the Warriors won 54-41.
    Hodgdon 61, Katahdin 56 — The Hawks picked up another win last Tuesday to even their record at 4-4 in Stacyville finally shaking off the Cougars in the final period.
    The Hawks led 27-26 at intermission, but the tables turned in the third, as Katahdin held the one-point advantage, 39-38, setting up a climatic ending.
    Chris Williams poured in a game-high 32 points for the Hawks, while Andrew McGillicuddy tossed in 15 more for the winners.
    Brandon Robinson connected for 18 points for Katahdin, while Kolby Gallagher scored 11 in the losing effort. Lucas Craig finished with nine and Colton Bivighouse eight more.