Shires enduring tough season

By Joseph Cyr  
Staff writer
    A strong second-quarter stand proved the difference Tuesday evening as the Caribou boys basketball team defeated Houlton 56-43 at Houlton.
    In Tuesday’s game, the Vikings outscored the Shiretowners 14-5 in the second quarter to break open what had been a tight contest through the first eight minutes of play.
    “I thought we played pretty well defensively in the first half,” Caribou coach Chris Casavant said. “We’ve been working on pressuring the basketball and pressuring the passing lanes, and I think we did a lot of nice things in the first half to take Houlton out of their rhythm.”
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
COURT GENERAL — Houlton’s Micah Goetsch looks to take the ball to the hoop during last Tuesday’s boys basketball game against Caribou.
    Cameron Anderson paced the Vikings with 17 points, while Chris Nadeau chipped in 12; Matt Till, nine; Ted Walker, eight; Jon Ouellette, four; Chad Caverhill and Stephen St. Peter, both two; and Evan Susee and Brandon Holdsworth, both one.
    For Houlton, Micah Goetsch led the way with nine points, while Jordan Codrey added seven; Doug Dickison and Chris Anderson, both six; Corey Woodworth, five; Ethan Quint and Pat Hutchinson, both four; and Darrell Hanning, two.
    “Whenever we play, we’re looking to keep the game in the 40s,” Casavant said. “I knew that Mike [Fogarty] would come out and make each possession count. They [Houlton] are a lot like us. There isn’t any one great talent, so you have to try to keep the score down and your opponent’s possessions to a minimum.”
    An inability to convert from the free throw line hurt Houlton as the Shires converted just six of 16 free throw attempts (38 percent). Conversely, Caribou was 17 of 27 (63 percent) from the foul line.
    The Shires were solid in the first quarter, swapping the lead three times with the Vikings. Caribou rattled off seven unanswered points to end the quarter on top 14-10. In that run, Till drained a 3-pointer, followed by a pair of Walker buckets from the post.
    In the second quarter, Caribou cranked up its defensive intensity, outscoring Houlton 14-5, including another 7-0 run to end the half. This run featured a pair of Till free throws, followed by an Anderson 3-pointer and floating jumper by Caverhill for a 28-15 halftime lead.
    The third stanza proved to be a stalemate as both squads netted 16 points, giving the Vikings a 44-31 advantage heading into the final quarter.
    A slow start greeted both squads to the final frame, as neither team was able to find the basket in the first three minutes of the quarter. Houlton made a run at Caribou, cutting the lead to 10 (48-38) with 3:02 to play as Goetsch, Chris Anderson and Hanning had the hot hand. The trio combined for seven points over a two-minute span to get the Shires within striking distance.
    That 10-point margin was a close as Houlton would get, however, as the Vikings showed poise at the free throw line, making 8 of 10 foul shots in the final 2:30 to seal the victory.
    “We definitely made a run at it,” Houlton coach Fogarty said. “We actually finished a few of our shots, which was good to see. We have been struggling [in previous games] to finish. We’ve played good defensively, but if you can’t score, you can’t win many games.”
Shires fall to Calais, Lee
    Calais 68, Houlton 44 — At Houlton Thursday, the Shires trailed by only one point, 13-12 in the opening quarter, but watched as the Blue Devils broke the game open in the second stanza to build a comfortable halftime cushion, 35-19 en route to the win.
    Corey Woodworth scored 14 points for Houlton, while Jordan Codrey had eight and Micah Goetsch chipped in with six.
    Lee 78, Houlton 32  — At Lee Monday, the Shires (1-9) were outscored 32-7 in the first quarter and Lee never looked back, taking a 53-14 halftime lead and 65-19 third quarter advantage. Goetsch led the Shiretowners with seven points, while Ben Duff had six.