Cup O’ Joe: Exciting tourney week

It was another memorable week of basketball games at the Bangor Auditorium as our local teams put on strong showings in their respective regions. Seven of the 12 teams in The Houlton Pioneer Times’ coverage area earned an opportunity to play on the floor of the Auditorium this year.
    Congratulations to all of the teams for getting the rare opportunity to extend their season by playing in Bangor. Many squads never have the chance to set foot on the floor of the Auditorium. Doing so for the first time can also be a daunting experience for younger players, but the experience alone should pay dividends for many years to come.
The Houlton boys and girls squads enjoyed tremendous success in Bangor, with the boys advancing all the way to the Eastern Class C championship. While the teams fell just short of winning regional titles, the effort and sportsmanship each Shire squad displayed was to be commended. Boys coach Rob Moran and girls coach Shawn Graham should both be extremely proud of the way their respective teams handled themselves in the spotlight.
Not to be outdone, the Hodgdon girls basketball team, under the leadership of Vaughn Farrar, pulled off a number of thrilling upsets in the tournament, advancing all the way to the Eastern Class D title game. The Hawks had a tall order facing defending state champs Washburn, but coach Farrar should be particularly pleased with how his young squad performed.
Covering the games for the newspaper was another adventure. With so many teams earning a spot in the tournament, it made for many long days and nights spent inside the Auditorium. Over a six-day period, I had an opportunity to watch 15 games for our company, shooting nearly 2,000 photos in the process.
The noise level inside the Auditorium can be down right deafening at times during a game as fans get charged up when their team hits a big basket, or a call goes the wrong way against them.
And then there is the volume coming from the bands. Once again, the Houlton band put on a marvelous assortment of songs for fans to enjoy and proved to be one of the elite squads at the tourney. A tip of the cap goes out to Joe Fagnant for keeping the Shire band rocking before, during, and after the games.
Not to be outdone, the Hodgdon band, under the guidance of Kelly Ellis, had several opportunities to show off its musical talents. The Hawks did a fine job keeping the fans tapping their toes.
Sitting at the media table watching games allows one to hear a variety of interesting statements made by fans sitting behind you. For the most part, the comments are just a part of the “noise” that goes on during the game. But sometimes, if a fan has a particularly loud voice, they come blaring through.
Here’s a collection of some of the things heard coming from the stands, directed at officials on the floor in Bangor this year.
“There are two teams out there you know.” I’m sure the referees are well aware of the fact that there are indeed two teams on the court.
“Call it both ways ref!” This statement is probably heard in every game played. It’s amazing how many people actually believe that referees shows favoritism to one team over another or have a personal stake in the game’s outcome.
“Will you call a foul!” Some fans think every time their team has the ball that a foul should be called.
“Oh, NOW you call the foul!” This often follows the previous statement when it goes against their team.
“Are you just making things up as you go along?” OK, this one was actually kind of comical.
I’ve spoken to a few referees over the years and asked them how they deal with some of the things people say from the stands. Many refs have told me they actually don’t hear many of the comments coming from the stands as they are focused intently on the game itself.
However, when a fan crosses the line and starts calling out a ref by his or her first name, or saying something about their child who may also happen to be a ballplayer, one can only assume that it becomes more difficult for them to block out.
Tempers due tend to flare during sporting events, but we should all take a minute to think before speaking. After all, the officials on the floor are people too.
Joseph Cyr is a staff writer for the Houlton Pioneer Times. He can be reached at pioneertimes@nepublish.com or 532-2281.