Rec basketball season winding down in PI
A great set of games were played Friday, March 18 at the William Haskell Community Center as part of the fifth- and sixth-grade basketball program offered by the Presque Isle Recreation and Parks Department.
The Bulls pulled off a 30-29 victory in the first game of the session, with Madison Bearden scoring a team-high 12 points, followed by Grant Stewart with six, including the game-winning basket at the buzzer. Dylan Schinhofen and Caleb Page had four points each, while Chrissy Skidgel and Matthew O’Connell both had two for the winners.
Emily Wheaton’s game-high 17 points led the Thunder, followed by Issac Devine with six points, Madison Fournier with four and Pat Cash with two.
Griffen Guerrette nailed a three-pointer as the final buzzer sounded, capping off a 25-point game in the Sixers’ 31-30 victory over the Celtics.
Jack Beaulieu, Emma Curtis and Wyatt Kennedy all scored baskets for the Sixers.
On the Celtics’ side of the ball, Brad Kinney led the way with 13 points, followed by Marcus Ouellette with 10 points, RJ Gross with three, Jordan Bonville with two and Hannah Chalou and Kayla Saucier both with one point.
The final game of the day also came down to a final possession, with the Lakers coming away with the 33-31 win. Josiah Morse hit two foul shots down the stretch to provide the final margin of victory. He scored nine in the game, while Ryle Mortland led the winners with 11, with Randon Mortland also netting nine and Gage Young tossing in four.
On the other bench, Jake Kinney had 15 points, with Adam Paterson adding six. Miranda Bragan and Gavin Kelley both scored four points and Grant Bridges added a bucket. This Spurs had trailed by 11 points before tying the game with less than a minute to play before Morse hit the clutch free throws.
In matchups taking place March 21, the Bulls and Spurs kicked things off, with Stewart tallying nine points and Bearden tallying eight in a 23-21 win. Skidgel, Schinhofen and O’Connell all had two points for the victorious Bulls.
For the Spurs, Jake Kinney had 14 points, Paterson five and Bragan notched a single basket.
The Lakers edged the Celtics, 22-20, behind Ryle Mortland’s 10 points, eight from Morse and four from Randon Mortland. On the other side of the hardwood, the Celtics’ Ouellette had a team-high eight points with Gross and Bradley Kinney both chipping in with six points each.
In the late game, the Sixers got past the Thunder, 30-22. The Sixers’ Guerrette had a game-high 19 points, followed by Mackenzie Whitaker with six points, David Kofstad with three and Beaulieu with a basket. On the other side of the court, the Thunder’s Devine and Cash both had nine points with Chandler Paradis and Fournier both scoring baskets.
Last Tuesday was the final day for regular season games. The Spurs tipped the Celtics, 36-34, with the winning scoring attack led by Jake Kinney with 14 points, followed by Kelley’s eight points, and six each by Bridges and Paterson.
The Celtics’ Brad Kinney had a game-high 23 points, with Gross adding six points and Ouellette chipping in with five.
In the middle game the day, the Sixers bested the Bulls, 42-35. Guerrette had a game-high 30 points with Kofstad having a personal high of 12 points as a steady complement.
On the opposite side of the hardwood, the Stewart had a team-high 21 points, with Bearden adding six points and Page and Skidgel both netting four.
The final game saw the Thunder roll past the Lakers, 33-21, behind Wheaton’s 17 points. Devine had 10 points, Cash added a couple buckets and Fournier cashed in on a shot. As for the Lakers, Morse had 13 points with Ryle Mortland helped out with six points, with brother Randon chipping in with a hoop.
In the first game of the playoff week, the fourth-seeded Celtics were upset by the No. 5 Thunder, 39-27. The Thunder’s Devine had a game-high 15 points to lead the way, with Wheaton adding 12, Cash 10 and Chandler Paradis with a bucket. For the Green Machine, Bradley Kinney had a team-high 13 points, followed by Bonville with six and Ouellette and Gross both with four.
The second game of the day saw the third-ranked Lakers stopping the No. 6 Spurs, 30-22. Ryle Mortland led the way for the Lakers with 13 points, followed by brother Randon with 10 points. Morse added five points and Gage Young had a hoop.
As for the Spurs, Bridges and Jake Kinney both had eight points, with Kelley scoring six.
Last Wednesday was the fourth and final skills challenge with a Knockout Competition. Nineteen players participated in five rounds of double-elimination action. Every round was hard fought with Ryle Mortland taking home the gold followed by David Kofstad grabbing runner-up honors.
