PI sweeps Caribou in hoop
By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
The Wildcats-Vikings basketball rivalry continued last week with both the girls and boys contests played in Presque Isle. Score Round 1 to the host Wildcats, which came up with a pair of convincing wins.
Last Tuesday, the PI girls bolted to a big lead early thanks to an effective full-court pressure defense which forced numerous turnovers and led to easy baskets. The quick start fueled a 66-40 victory.
“I thought our energy and pressure was excellent at the beginning of the game, especially after losing to John Bapst our previous game,” said Presque Isle coach Jeff Hudson.
Contributed photo/jMavor Photography
ON DEFENSE — Meredith Stewart of the Presque Isle Wildcats holds her ground as Caribou’s Dayna Michaud takes the ball to the basket for a layup during last Tuesday’s game at PIHS. Stewart had a strong game with 16 points and 11 rebounds as PI won, 66-40.
“For some reason, we haven’t been starting games the way I’d like to,” said Caribou coach Ryan Deprey. “Teams are coming out in the first quarter and smacking us right in the mouth, and we seem to always respond, but it’s tough to keep coming back.”
Chandler Guerrette scored nine first-quarter points to lead the charge for the Wildcats, while teammate Meredith Stewart dominated the inside for 12 first-half points. The sophomore duo combined for 33 points in the game, with Guerrette scoring 17 and Stewart 16 to go along with her 11 rebounds.
“The biggest factor in the loss was the improved play of Stewart,” Deprey said. “She has really become a solid contributor for them on both ends of the floor.”
“Meredith is playing much, much better,” Hudson added. “Her rebounding has come a long way and now she is scoring more. She is a big key for us.”
After trailing by a large deficit early, Caribou got back into the game by finally solving the PI press and converting on fast-break layups. Jenna Selander scored all 12 of her points in the first half, including a buzzer-beating three to end the first quarter, as Caribou managed to go into halftime behind by a manageable 10 points.
“In the second and third quarters, we were able to hold our own and actually chip into their lead a little,” Deprey added. “We came up with a way against their press that when we executed properly, we were able to run and get some good shots out of it. I think Jenna’s three gave us some new life and we believed that we could play with them.”
The Vikings cut the margin to nine heading into the fourth quarter, but Presque Isle went on another big run thanks to the defensive pressure and ended up outscoring Caribou 23-6 in the quarter.
“In the second half our defense was much tougher and Selander especially had a tough time getting open,” said Hudson, who employed a box-and-one against the talented Viking senior. “Chelsea Nickerson did a wonderful job on her.”
Megan Ireland came off the bench to score 13 points, including two three-point field goals, for PI. Kayla Richards and Nickerson had eight and seven points, respectively.
Rebecca McDougal joined Selander in double figures with 12 points. Alexa Massey, who battled foul trouble throughout the contest, finished with eight.
Contributed photo/jMavor Photography
TRAVIS DYER of the Wildcats soars in for a layup while Caribou’s Roland Thibodeau attempts to draw the foul and Matt Till of the Vikings looks on. Presque Isle won the game, 64-48.
In last Wednesday’s boys game, Presque Isle was able to hold Caribou’s leading scorer, Matt Till, to just three points for the entire game and outscored the Vikings 33-22 over the second half to come out on top, 64-48.
Caribou’s Roland Thibodeau scored seven first-quarter points and kept his team close early, however he got in foul trouble and PI was able to seize control in the second after leading by a mere two points after one period of play. Alex Tuttle scored 13 points and Oliver Zubrick 10 in the first half as the Wildcats went ahead 31-26 at intermission.
“I thought we just played really well for the most part,” said PI coach Tim Prescott. “We rebounded very well and executed what we worked on in practice.”
Stephen St. Peter’s five points accounted for all of Caribou’s offense in the third quarter as PI was able to build a nine-point advantage. Meanwhile, Tuttle’s tough defense on Till kept Caribou’s senior forward without a point through the first three quarters.
“Alex was always right there,” Prescott said, “but I thought we defended really well as a team. We were beating their guys to the spot, hedging screens and took away the passing lanes.
“Caribou has done a good job executing their offense throughout the season and we did what we had to do to match that.”
Viking coach Chris Casavant said his team, which has taken pride in its defense during the first half of the season, let down in that aspect of the game against the Wildcats.
“We had some breakdowns,” Casavant said. “They have three guys [Zubrick, Tuttle and Dyer] who can really hurt you and they all had their moments against us.”
Till finally reached the scoring column with a three-pointer in the fourth, but Presque Isle’s Travis Dyer shook off offensive struggles himself over the first three quarters by putting 19 on the board over the final eight minutes.
Zubrick finished with 20 points and Tuttle had eight rebounds to go along with his 12 first-half points. Brandon Bonville came off the bench to spark the Wildcats with seven points.
Junior point guard Chad Caverhill led Caribou with 12 points, while St. Peter added 11, Thibodeau 10 and Branden Holdsworth nine.
